MNA � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appreciated the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for ordering the Armed Forces to establish special headquarters to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.

He made the remarks on Saturday in a meeting of Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters held via video conference.

Rouhani welcomed the Health Minister�s proposal to control traffic in 11 provinces, noting that the checkpoints should be clearly announced and that teams need to carry out their mission in a manner that would not let to traffic jams. No report has been yet revealed of the 11 mentioned provinces.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki had also proposed to determine fine for those who travel between cities while having Covid-19 symptoms. �Maybe the individuals are not aware of their disease and the mere fact that they are being returned and guided to a hospital for treatment is enough as their fine,� said Rouhani in response.

He wished nationwide efforts would soon come to fruition and this danger would be eliminated from the country.

Rouhani said that he will have a session on Sunday with representatives of the country�s private sector to address the economic losses incurred by the outbreak.

The next meeting of the Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters will be held on Monday with Rouhani as its chairman.

According to the latest announcement on Wednesday, the COVID-19 has infected 12,729 people across the country, claiming 611 lives.

First detected in Wuhan city in central China in December, the virus has spread to more than 140 countries. More than 5,400 people have died of COVID-19 across the world, and more than 146,000 people have also been infected. About 72,000 people have also recovered from the illness, globally.