Tasnim � The number of people contracting the novel coronavirus in Iran�s northern province of Gilan is on a downward trend, an official said.

Gilan, on the coast of the Caspian, Sea was one of hardest-hit areas in Iran during the early days of COVID-19 outbreak.

But the Iranian health minister�s plenipotentiary representative in the province says the social distancing initiative has yielded results and the cases of coronavirus infection have begun to drop in Gilan.

Speaking to Tasnim, Mohammad Hossein Qorbani said statistics show that the morbidity rate in Gilan is declining.

However, it is absolutely necessary to proceed with the social distancing plan, refrain from travels and observe the precautionary health tips to prevent a new rise in the number of positive cases, he underlined.

More than 56,000 patients have recovered from the coronavirus in Iran, as the daily death toll from COVID-19 in the country dropped for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday