The Iranian Army commenced exercises to prevent and monitor the spread of novel coronavirus, COVID-19, on Sunday.
The drills came three days after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued an edict to Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri, emphasizing the need to establish a “health and treatment base” in order to contain the virus.
The drills will be conducted under the command of the Army’s biodefense base. Ground forces will play the main role in the war games led by Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, PressTV reported on Sunday.
The Iranian Health Ministry has reported 14,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country so far, of which 720 people have died.