People wearing protective clothings, masks and gloves, attend the funeral of a victim who died after being infected with the new coronavirus, at a cemetery just outside Tehran, Iran. AFP Photo

Tehran: Iran's official coronavirus death toll reached 2,757 on Monday and the number of infections crossed 40,000, as President Hassan Rouhani's political opponents slammed his response to the outbreak.

Iran has been scrambling to contain COVID-19's spread since it reported its first cases on February 19.

After weeks of refraining from imposing lockdown or quarantine measures, Tehran decided Wednesday to ban all intercity travel until at least April 8, but some in the establishment have argued it is too little, too late.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said at a daily news briefing that 117 more people had died from the virus over the past 24 hours and 3,186 new cases had been confirmed.