As of March 12, Pakistan had reported just 21 coronavirus cases of the new coronavirus, but the country’s shared border and trade activity with Iran has officials concerned as a number of the Pakistanis who have been infected had traveled to Iran.

Iran reported March 12 that its official number of COVID-19 cases had jumped by 1,075 over 24 hours to reach 10,075, with 429 deaths. Iran was one of the first countries to report an outbreak, possibly because of its strong trade links with China, the epicenter. 

Many citizens travel between China and Iran throughout the year. According to the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, a quarter of Iranian trade is with Beijing and since Iran is under severe US economic sanctions, Tehran initially was reluctant to take actions that would slow down trade. 

Qom, one of Iran’s holiest cities, became a second epicenter for the virus. Qom is also a business center, as it is only about 90 miles from the capital. In addition, millions of Shiite pilgrims from all over the world frequent the Qom shrines as part of religious rites, while thousands of foreign students stay in the city.