The World Health Organization (WHO) does not endorse international flight restrictions on Iran amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, official IRNA news agency reported on Friday.
Richard Brennan, regional emergency director for WHO, was quoted as saying that although WHO recommends all countries to adopt restrictions in emergency situations, “it currently does not agree with such (flight) restrictions to be imposed on Iran.”
He made the remarks on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting related to the novel coronavirus epidemic in Iran which was attended by foreign diplomats and Iranian officials. Brennan stressed that the WHO makes no recommendations about imposing restrictions on flights to and from Iran, said IRNA. Some airlines have followed their own policy, but it is necessary for them to report their measures to the WHO on the basis of a treaty on the practice of limitations, he said.
The official added that the decision by the airliners in this regard should be evaluated and endorsed by the WHO. Most of the airliners have stopped their return flights to the Iranian cities after the first cases of COVID-19 were announced in Iran last month. Iran announced on Friday that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country has affected 4,747 people, out of whom 124 have died.
