Iran has reopened its major Shia Muslim shrines, two months after they were closed to combat the coronavirus.
Worshippers will be allowed to access courtyards, but not covered areas. They must also wear face masks and abide by social distancing rules.
People were sprayed with disinfectant and had their temperatures checked at Tehran’s Abdol Azim shrine on Monday.
Iran has suffered the Middle East’s worst Covid-19 outbreak, with 137,000 cases and 7,450 deaths reported.
In recent weeks, the government has begun relaxing restrictions in an attempt to revive an economy that was already in crisis because of US sanctions.
Iran’s Shia shrines are visited every year by tens of millions of pilgrims, who spend many hours praying near the tombs they house. Many also kiss or touch the tombs.
When the holy city of Qom emerged as the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in late February, health experts expressed alarm that the shrine of Hazrat Masumeh was not shut. Its custodian said it should stay open as a “house for cure”.
