Speaking on Wednesday at cabinet session, President Hassan Rouhani said,  “Deciding whether a place must be closed down or limitations need to be set because of coronavirus is up to National Headquarters for Fighting Coronavirus.”

Parts of President Hassan Rouhani’s speech at the meeting of the Council of Ministers is as follows:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

I would like to tell our dear people that just like all the incidents that the country has occasionally faced and the people and government have coped with, coronavirus follows the same pattern.

Fortunately, in the last couple of weeks, there have been many good efforts in the country in prevention, diagnosis, quarantine, and treatment.

We need a wise approach to this issue and we need to act professionally and seriously. For this reason, the management of the issue has been delegated to a headquarters headed by the Minister of Health and Medical Education.

Therefore, in all matters, in terms of the statistics and figures that need to be provided to the public, and the recommendations that people should listen to, as well as the centers available for diagnosis and treatment, people should not pay attention to rumors.

Reports given by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education at the session of the National Headquarters for Fighting Coronavirus last night were promising.

Today, I received a report that the kits we were importing from overseas through the World Health Organisation (WHO) – which we will continue to follow – are also being produced and tested by our domestic specialists.

Of course, what is being done is round-the-clock, accurate and scientific work. Overall, we see a decline in referrals to hospital and progress in treatment. This means that if 100 people were hospitalized in the early days, 7-8 people might have been passed away, but today, this is much less.

We are living in the same society and we are a family.

Of course, as recommended, going to places where it is not necessary for us to go should be reduced or cut.

Our ministries and production units must do all they can to provide people with the necessary items.

Fortunately, in recent days, the Police and Suspending Organisation have worked well not to let a small number of people take advantage of these issues.

But what is more important than coronavirus is the virus of fear, anxiety, and mistrust. This virus is worse than coronavirus and we should not create doubt and anxiety in people.

Influenza virus comes around the world every year and kills people every year. In recent years and in the US, statistics show that there have been between 12,000 to 100,000 flu deaths a year. Various influenza viruses have come and some of them have been eradicated.

Corona deaths are no more than influenza. According to doctors and experts, the same thing was said last night. But the type of spread may be different, all of which is true. Specialists need to come and tell people the truth and explain it to people.

People’s anxiety and fear should not exceed a certain limit, because when added, it is dangerous in itself and can cause other problems.

Another point I would like to emphasize is the rumors among people that a city is going to be quarantined for a month or a week. There is no such thing decided in the country. We do not quarantine a neighborhood or a city. What is quarantined is individual; that is, if a person has primary symptoms, that person must be quarantined.

So people must not think that a store or town will be closed or a public quarantine will happen.

I assure people that all food, raw materials, even detergents, which we are a little short of these days, will be compensated in the coming days.

People need to be absolutely confident that the figures will be accurately stated and they must not worry.

I would like to once again thank the doctors, nurses and hospital staff for their preparation, presence, work, and dedication these days, which will continue.

The point I want to emphasize is that coronavirus should not become a weapon at the hand of our enemies; Americans and our enemies have wanted to halt our production and economic activities in this two-year (21-month) period now with their sanctions and propaganda.

We must not let the United States attach a new virus to the coronavirus by stopping our social activities through tremendous fear; this is a conspiracy we see today and you see in foreign propaganda. Recently, a top American official talked about coronavirus in Iran; they are also suffering from coronavirus, influenza has killed 16,000 people in the United States, but they are not speaking about themselves. Americans better take care of thousands of flu casualties in their own country.

Here, I would like to say something to the dear representatives at the Islamic Consultative Assembly who are serving their final days and weeks.

Our annual budget is very important for our people. First, our respectful representatives know that before the budget bill is discussed in the cabinet, the Supreme Council of Economic Coordination has discussed it and approved its framework, which the Supreme Leader has endorsed.

Here, I would like to tell our dear representatives that our budget bill is based on realities, and we paid attention to the lives of people, employees and pensioners. We expect our dear Majlis to finalise the bill as soon as possible.

And the last point is the floods, which we are hearing more or less in some provinces. I want to assure people that this year, we are much readier than last year.