MNA � All commercial centers across capital Tehran, except for those related to food supplies and pharmacies, have been ordered to close as part of new restrictive measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Deputy Governor of Tehran province Hamidreza Goudarzi said on Sunday that new social distancing directives have been issued for the Iranian capital that houses some 12 million.

Only convenience stores and pharmacies are allowed to stay open and other businesses breaching the order will be punished, he added.

The new restrictions come as Iran is stepping up its campaign to curb a further spread of the disease.

Head of Iran�s Food and Drug Administration Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz said pharmacies across the country are replenished with protective masks, hand sanitizers and other hygiene products and there is no shortage in this regard.

Alcohol production by Iranian companies has doubled in recent weeks. �We are currently producing 400,000 liters of alcohol on a daily basis,� Shanehsaz said.

Iran has been hit hard by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, with 20,610 confirmed cases and 1,556 deaths as of Saturday.