Iran declares two-day holiday shutdown due to 'unprecedented heat'
Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Iran began a two-day shutdown of businesses and government offices Wednesday as temperatures throughout the country were expected to reach 104 degrees or higher.
Iran's state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency said health ministers warned of the adverse health impacts of the heatwave and medical centers across the country were on alert to treat people for heat-related conditions.
"Due to the unprecedented heat in the current days, in order to protect the health of the citizens, the government board agreed to the proposal of the Ministry of Health to close on Wednesday and Thursday throughout the country," Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said on social media.
Iran's electric grid has been hit with higher demand and a couple of plants had gone off the grid Tuesday, with power cuts reported in some cities.
July was a very hot month with a record-breaking global temperature average of 62.7 degrees on July 6.
Iranian deputy health minister Saeed Karimi said people older than 65 and younger than 4 are especially vulnerable to hot weather impacts. People with heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are also more vulnerable to excessive heat.
In the United States, President Joe Biden announced new measures to help protect workers during the July heat wave, as extreme heat broke records in Phoenix in July as temperatures hit or exceeded 110 for at least 19 straight days.
He ordered the Labor Department to issue a Hazard Alert declaring the heat wave to be a potential threat to worker health and safety to help protect farmworkers, firefighters and other outdoor workers.
