TEHRAN
Iran's three holiest sites have been closed to visitors to help stem the spread of coronavirus.
According to Iranian national television, officials from the city of Qom and the holy sites decided to close the Fatima Masumeh Shrine and Jamkaran Mosque to curb the virus’ spread.
The Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad will also close, the Fars News Agency reported.
The coronavirus' death toll in Iran is 853, and the number of cases is 14,999.
Calls for the shrines to close grew louder after the virus was first detected in the country on Feb. 19.
The novel coronavirus emerged