Iran on Tuesday declared a two-day holiday for government workers and banks nationwide as searing temperatures sweep across the country, state media reported. The decision came after the meteorological office forecast temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in many cities, and hovering around 50 degrees Celsius in the southwest. State broadcaster IRIB has said many cities including in the provinces of Ilam, Bushehr, and Khuzestan have seen temperatures rise above 45 degrees Celsius in recent days. “The cabinet agreed to the health ministry proposal to declare Wednesday and Thursday public holidays all over the country to protect public health,” the official IRNA news agency quoted government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi as saying. IRNA said the decision was taken because of what it described as an “unprecedented” heatwave across the country. According to IRIB, Dehloran city in western Iran recorded the highest temperature of 50 degrees Celsius in Iran over the past 24 hours. It added that temperatures were expected to rise in the north as well, including in the city of Ardabil as well as at the southern shores of the Caspian sea. The health ministry has warned of the risks of heatstroke from over-exposure to the sun, and urged people to stay indoors between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.