Firefighters continue disinfecting Tehran streets

Firefighters in Iran's capital Tehran disinfected the city's longest highway on Friday in a new effort to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Some 1,500 fire crews spread out along the 18-kilometer tree-lined Valiasr Avenue to spray disinfectant over sidewalks, handrails, bus stops, plane trees, sewers, manholes and other surfaces.

Tehran's Fire Department Spokesman Jalal Maleki said the fire crews would also disinfect the exteriors of shops, if the owners wanted them to.

Some storekeepers welcomed the development.

"It would be great if they did it every day. It should not be just a one-time thing and should be done frequently especially in places like here where there's a lot of movement and traffic," said grocery shop owner Reza Razaienejad.

Iran is one of the countries worst affected by the coronavirus, with officials saying 107 people have been killed by the disease.