Virus Hot Spots Reemerge in Mideast, Threatening Economies

Covid infections are rising again in parts of the Middle East, posing a new threat to the region’s economies already battered by the collapse in oil prices.

Cases have been rising in Iran, which is battling the Middle East’s worst outbreak, with more than half a million people infected so far. Israel was forced to impose a second nationwide lockdown last month, with the move estimated to cost the economy almost $7.5 billion -- about 2% of 2019 GDP.