People not wearing masks against the novel coronavirus should be refused service in enclosed public spaces, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday, as his government moves to make it obligatory.
The new measure goes into effect from midnight as part of the authorities' efforts to bring down a daily death toll that has remained stubbornly in triple figures.
But face masks are already mandatory on public transport in Iran and the Tehran city council acknowledges that the rule is still widely flouted on the bus and metro services it runs.
Addressing the committee in charge of Iran's efforts to stem its virus outbreak - the deadliest in the Middle East - Mr Rouhani said that the new order "requires some guarantee that it will be respected".
"In government offices, that is likely to be easier - we can simply deny entry to people not wearing masks."
Since late last month, the government has also undertaken a public information campaign, with officials and state television anchors wearing masks on camera to encourage their use.
But there is still no sign of any respite from the virus.
Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 148 deaths had been recorded over the past 24 hours, only slightly down on the 154 she reported on Friday.
Iran's overall toll now stands at 11,408, with 237,878 confirmed infections since it reported its first cases in late February.
The government has been trying to convince a reluctant public to accept masks and a week-long campaign by state television has been warning viewers that "Corona is not a joke".
One TV presenter at the end of every newscast puts on her mask and says: "There is no one in my immediate three metres, but I wear a mask outside the studio. You, too, wear one."
State media reported on Saturday that 19 Iranian football players from the national Esteghlal and Foolad Khuzestan clubs had tested positive for the coronavirus.
And five Iranian members of parliament have also tested positive, the semi-official Fars news agency said.
Meanwhile, Iran's armed forces have reduced their basic combat training to a month because of the increased spread.
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Iranians wearing protectives masks gather along the artificial Chitgar lake in the capital Tehran, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. AFP -
A mannequin is seen wearing protective face mask outside one of the garment shop at the Grand Souq in Bur Dubai area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Students take Baccalaureate exams in Ibn Rushd sports hall in Rabat, Morocco. EPA -
Members of the family of an imam at a local mosque, perform their Friday prayers on the rooftop of their house, after the authorities shut down mosques due to the coronavirus pandemic, in the West Bank town of Hebron. AFP -
A member of staff at Town square wears a protective face mask as he checks the water at the Wave rider in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Palestinian policemen stop a car in an empty street, in the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian authorities have announced a five-day lockdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the West Bank. EPA -
People wearing protective face mask ride the abra in Dubai Creek in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
A woman walks as seagulls fly over a boat on the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe and Asia, in Istanbul. AP Photo -
A general view of an empty street in the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
