Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that in dealing with the coronavirus predicament all should act based on expert views suggested by the national headquarters to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

“As I have said, I recognize expert viewpoint of the Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters as valid. Then, every decision they take, all the people, and I, will follow it,” the Leader said in a meeting via video conference with members of the headquarters chaired by President Hassan Rouhani.

The Leader praised the Iranian people, healthcare workers, as well as police and armed forces for their altruism, patience, and equanimity which manifested the rich Iranian-Islamic culture during the pandemic.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the controversial issue of reopening mosques and religious sites during the pandemic, saying, “I do not offer any proposal in this regard, but it should be noted that prayer, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, is among the essential needs of people because people need to keep in touch with God more in crucial times.”

He went on to say that the coronavirus pandemic exposed failure of the West in terms of ethics and management.

“The West and West-oriented countries do not want this failure to be revealed, but it is required to outline aspects of this failure and raise awareness of nations.”

Although the coronavirus reached Europe and the United States later than many other countries, and despite the fact that they had the opportunity to get prepared against the pandemic, they proved to be unable to contain the disease well enough so their people are grappling with different problems, including unemployment.

“The Western society is founded on money and material things. Therefore, they remained indifferent to the needy, the elderly, and the underprivileged. So, a large number of people died of the virus in nursing houses,” Ayatollah Khamenei explained.

MG/PA