Tasnim � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday unveiled a plan for smart social distancing across the country as a new phase of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In a meeting with the officials of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters on Saturday, Rouhani said the social distancing initiative is going to transfer to smart distancing plan.

He said the smart social distancing follows the successful implementation of two stages of social distancing over the past weeks, noting that the qualities and requirements of the new phase are going to be defined.

The president called on the chairpersons of committees of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters to assess the situation carefully and make decisions about the details of the new plan.

Varied and extensive protocols for the fight against the coronavirus should be defined carefully in all fields, proportional to various businesses, for the reopening period after making sure that following the previous stages, the conditions have been stabilized, he emphasized.

The president underlined that the new health protocols for smart social distancing should be devised in such a way that all people in various sectors may rest assured that their health would be protected with a high degree of confidence by observing the protocols if they get out of the house or work.

On Tuesday, Rouhani extended social distancing measures until April 8 to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus across the country.

He has repeatedly called on Iranians to stay indoors, noting that social-distancing and self-quarantining have helped the country�s health authorities make major breakthroughs in their battle against the viral infection.

The disease has so far killed 3,294 people and infected over 53,000 others in Iran. Nearly 18,000 people have also recovered.