Iran’s death toll from COVID-19 rose by 94 in the past 24 hours to 5,391 people, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV on Wednesday. The country has recorded 85,996 cases of the new coronavirus, Jahanpur said, noting that 63,113 people have recovered from it. Parks, gardens and recreational areas were opened across Iran on Wednesday, a member of the national headquarters for fighting the coronavirus said, according to the official government website. Shopping malls and bazaars reopened on Monday despite warnings by some health officials that a new wave of infections could ripple through one of the region’s countries hardest hit by the pandemic. A ban on inter-city travel was also lifted on Monday. Seeking a balance between protecting public health and shielding an economy battered by sanctions, the government has refrained from wholesale lockdowns of cities like those imposed in many other countries. But it has extended closures of schools and universities and banned cultural, religious and sports gatherings. US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from a multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 to push for additional curbs on Iran’s nuclear program, restrict its missile development and end its support for regional proxies. Iranian officials have said the sanctions have hampered their efforts to deal with the pandemic. Health Minister Saeed Namaki said on state TV on Wednesday that he had asked the World Health Organization for help to get the sanctions lifted.