Iran Tries to Reopen: In Pictures

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

 

meeting

Tehran's city council met for a session on May 3

 

lawmakers

Tehran lawmakers greeted each other on May 3

 

parliament 

Lawmakers gathered closely together in an April 7 parliament session

 

Bazaars and Shops

 

aid packages

Men hauled products at the reopening of the Tehran bazaar on April 21

 

vendor

A vendor sorted through textiles at the Tehran bazaar on April 21

 

Tajrish bazaar

Men fist bumped at the Tajrish bazaar in Tehran on April 28

 

boy

A boy wore a cardboard mask at the Tajrish Bazaar on April 28

 

bazaar

People shopped at a crowded bazaar on April 11

 

shopping center

People shopped at a busy supermarket

 

shopping center

A woman filled her cart in a well-stocked aisle

 

shopping center

A cashier scanned items at a grocery store

 

vendor

A vendor wore a surgical mask at a market in Tehran on April 18 

 

man in tunnel

A man walked through a disinfection tunnel at a mall in Tehran on April 20 

 

Street Scenes

 

volleyball

Men played volleyball at a reopened park in Tehran on April 23

 

boy

A boy played on a swing at a park in Tehran

 

street

People walked down a busy boulevard in Tehran on April 11

 

group of women

A group of women gathered in a public space on April 11

 

men

A group of young men sat by a fire pit on April 11

 

girls walking

A group of girls walked down a busy street in Hamedan on April 13

 

Traffic

 

traffic

Heavy traffic filled a highway in Tehran in early April

 

tehran metro

Tehran metro police checked the temperature of passengers at a metro station on May 3

 

metro

People got off a crowded metro in Tehran on April 11 

 

metro

Men waited at a metro stop in Tehran on April 11

 

A passenger paid for a cab ride

A passenger paid for a cab ride in Tehran on April 27

 

bus

Commuters rode on a crowded bus in Tehran on April 20

 

Relief Work

 

aid

An aid worker conducted a medical examination of a woman in Hamadan province on May 2

 

aid

A medical worker checked the temperature of a girl on May 2

 

Basij

The Basij force provided relief packages in Shahrekord and Arak on April 23

 

aid

Basij volunteers assembled aid packages

 

relief work

A group of people carried aid packages across a field in Tehran province on April 9.

 

aid packages

A boy moved an aid package with a wheelbarrow on April 9. 

 

aid packages

A girl carried a relief package on her head on April 9. 

 

Children

 

workers

Aid workers danced with children in Hamadan province on May 2

girl

A girl shopped for toys at a market in Tehran on April 28

 

Children

Children posed with aid workers on April 9 in Tehran province. 

 

Girl

A girl peered out of a curtain in Tehran province on April 9. 

 

boy

A boy had his temperature checked on April 9. 

 

Religious Sites

man praying

Since the shrine of Fatima Masoumeh in Qom was still closed, people came to the gate to pray on April 21.

 

Working Out

working out

A man practiced karate on a roof

 

karate

A woman practiced karate on a roof

 

working out

A woman jumped hurdles on a roof

 

exercise

A woman did an exercise routine during quarantine

 

weight training

A man lifted weights

 

soccer

Two men kicked a soccer ball 

 

ping pong

Two men played ping pong on a roof

 

Photo Credits: All content by Fars News Agency, Tasnim News Agency and Mehr News Agency is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Some of the information in this article was originally published on April 13, 2020.