Iran museums reopen after year-long Covid break

TEHRAN: Iran reopened museums in Tehran and other cities on Sunday after a more than year-long closure because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Museums in Tehran and other large cities that are no longer red-coded, meaning the risk of contracting the virus was very high, reopened on Sunday," the director of Iran’s museums, Mohammad-Reza Kargar, told AFP. "Tourists and visitors are welcome to return while observing (sanitary) measures."

A country with a millennia-long history, Iran has an abundance of 746 museums, including 170 in the capital. "We are absolutely delighted, and we think the people are too because they were fed up with staying home, and visiting museums improves their mood," Kargar said in his tourism and heritage ministry office. "We have safety protocols in place of course, and the number of visitors will be dependent on the space at our sites so the public stays safe and healthy."