Iranian football player offered help to fight coronavirus

Iranian footballer Alireza Jahanbahsh offered material assistance of 1 billion rials (about $7000) to contain the coronavirus outbreak in his hometown of Qazvin. This was reported by Iranian agency Mehr News on March 17. He also released a video asking people to stay home and follow all the recommendations of Iran's health ministry to survive the worldwide pandemic. Major football and other sporting events around the world have been suspended as a precaution against the outbreak of the disease. Tehran's authorities say their fight against the outbreak is seriously hampered by U.S. sanctions, calling on the United Nations (UN) to help lift sanctions and end the U.S. campaign of maximum pressure on Iran. The outbreak of coronavirus, known as COVID-19, was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a major commercial and industrial hub with a population of 12 million, in late December 2019. Kianush Jahanpur, head of the Center for Public Relations and Information at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said 14,991 Iranians had been infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, 853 of them dead. To date, 4,996 infected Iranians have recovered.