Iran is currently the sixth most coronavirus-infected country in the world, with 21,638 confirmed cases and 1,685 deaths. On the day of the spring equinox – also known as Norouz which the Persian new year – there are barely any people out and about in Esfahan to celebrate this day of joy! Esfahan is the third largest city in Iran and has a population of about two million. But at Norouz this year, the city appears empty and lifeless – even its most historical and touristic sites.
My uncle, who likes to take daily walks in the parks of Esfahan, has sent Rising East clips of a city usually full of locals and tourists that even on this beautiful and important day is almost completely empty. There are normally children playing by the lake and elderly residents relaxing in the park, against a background of uncontrollable traffic. But even on Iran’s New Year’s Day all we can hear are birds chirping, and a few lonely cars driving past.
But although these empty streets show that COVID-19 has become a concern for the people of Iran, according to my uncle people are becoming less strict about self-isolating. “People have definitely started to come out more than when the virus first started spreading,” he told me.
This may of course be down to Norouz, which heralds a 13-day national holiday, during which people traditionally take holidays and travel around. As the borders of Iran are closed, perhaps they think it is safe to travel around in Iran itself?
But as for the Norouz-related tradition of Deed-o-baazdeed, which is all about visiting family and friends, there are already signs that this year it will be carried out via video on computers and mobile phones.
