Iran has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported Thursday.
Iran has become an epicenter of the coronavirus, with the highest number of deaths outside of China. The total number of people infected as of Feb. 27 had increased to 245, according to Reuters.
Coronavirus continues to spread internationally, causing panic in countries like Italy, where cases have surged to 400 people, a 25% surge in 24 hours, the BBC reported. Brazil confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Latin America, a man who had traveled to Italy, Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Multiple countries have closed their borders with Iran to mitigate the spread of the virus, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey and Armenia.
Iran’s deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi, who spearheaded the country’s efforts to contain the virus, was confirmed to have been infected on Tuesday, the New York Times reported. (RELATED: Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Infected With Coronavirus As The Country Becomes An Epicenter Of The Outbreak)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told Americans Tuesday that they should brace for the spread of coronavirus into their communities as cases worldwide inch past 80,000.