In early April, Iran began to reopen after shutting down most of the country for nearly two months after the COVID-19 virus was first reported in Qom on February 19. On April 5, President Rouhani announced that low-risk economic activities would resume in most parts of the country on April 11 and in Tehran on April 18.
Parliament reconvened--for the first time since February 25--on April 7. On April 11, the government reopened "low-risk" businesses, including shops, factories and workshops, outside of Tehran. A nationwide ban on travel between cities was lifted the following day. Iranians flocked to shops and markets. Buses and subway cars were crowded as people returned to work, and heavy traffic was reported on many inner-city freeways. The following are pictures from Iranian media sources grouped by topic.
Government
Tehran's city council met for a session on May 3
Tehran lawmakers greeted each other on May 3
Lawmakers gathered closely together in an April 7 parliament session
Bazaars and Shops
Men hauled products at the reopening of the Tehran bazaar on April 21
A vendor sorted through textiles at the Tehran bazaar on April 21
Men fist bumped at the Tajrish bazaar in Tehran on April 28
A boy wore a cardboard mask at the Tajrish Bazaar on April 28
People shopped at a crowded bazaar on April 11
People shopped at a busy supermarket
A woman filled her cart in a well-stocked aisle
A cashier scanned items at a grocery store
A vendor wore a surgical mask at a market in Tehran on April 18
A man walked through a disinfection tunnel at a mall in Tehran on April 20
Street Scenes
Men played volleyball at a reopened park in Tehran on April 23
A boy played on a swing at a park in Tehran
People walked down a busy boulevard in Tehran on April 11
A group of women gathered in a public space on April 11
A group of young men sat by a fire pit on April 11
A group of girls walked down a busy street in Hamedan on April 13
Traffic
Heavy traffic filled a highway in Tehran in early April
Tehran metro police checked the temperature of passengers at a metro station on May 3
People got off a crowded metro in Tehran on April 11
Men waited at a metro stop in Tehran on April 11
A passenger paid for a cab ride in Tehran on April 27
Commuters rode on a crowded bus in Tehran on April 20
Relief Work
An aid worker conducted a medical examination of a woman in Hamadan province on May 2
A medical worker checked the temperature of a girl on May 2
The Basij force provided relief packages in Shahrekord and Arak on April 23
Basij volunteers assembled aid packages
A group of people carried aid packages across a field in Tehran province on April 9.
A boy moved an aid package with a wheelbarrow on April 9.
A girl carried a relief package on her head on April 9.
Children
Aid workers danced with children in Hamadan province on May 2
A girl shopped for toys at a market in Tehran on April 28
Children posed with aid workers on April 9 in Tehran province.
A girl peered out of a curtain in Tehran province on April 9.
A boy had his temperature checked on April 9.
Religious Sites
Since the shrine of Fatima Masoumeh in Qom was still closed, people came to the gate to pray on April 21.
Working Out
A man practiced karate on a roof
A woman practiced karate on a roof
A woman jumped hurdles on a roof
A woman did an exercise routine during quarantine
A man lifted weights
Two men kicked a soccer ball
Two men played ping pong on a roof