Iran reported its highest daily coronavirus death toll, the Ministry of Health said on Monday, recording 337 new deaths and beating the previous record of 279.

The total number of deaths in the country currently stands at 30,712.

The ministry also reported 4,251 new cases in the past 24 hours, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV, pushing the total number of confirmed cases to 534,631. The capital Tehran is the worst affected region of the country, which is facing the worst outbreak in the Middle East.

A spike in the number of infections and deaths prompted the government to extended restrictions and closures in Tehran. Schools, mosques, shops, restaurants and other public institutions there have been closed since early October.

The wearing of masks is also mandatory and hefty fines are in place for violators. Businesses which serve people without masks also face penalties, including closure.

The government also issued a warning that the number of daily deaths could exceed 600 if people failed to follow the guidelines in place.

Authorities have threatened to impose similar restrictions in other large cities with high infection rates if the situation deteriorates.

However, they have been unable to implement serious lockdowns due to the fragile state of the economy due to the crippling effects of U.S. sanctions.

(With input from agencies)