Iran frees 54,000 prisoners to curb spread of coronavirus
In order to combat the spread of coronavirus, Iran has temporarily set free over 54,000 prisoners. The inmates being freed are those who have tested negative for the virus and posted bail. It does not include 'security prisoners' jailed for more than five years. Multiple outlets reported that the inmates were allowed out of prison after they tested negative for Covid-19 and posted bail.
Prisoners who were sentenced to more than five years, called "security prisoners," will not be freed. The death toll in Iran has now risen to 92, while 586 new cases were reported on Tuesday, which brings the total up to 2,922 in the country.
Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have all reported cases with links to the Iranian city of Qom, a popular tourist site.
The Iranian government said Wednesday that those in Qom showing signs of the virus will be immediately quarantined. Medical teams will also be taking temperatures of anyone attempting to leave the city.
As of Wednesday, there have been at least 94,250 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with 80,270 of those cases in mainland China where the virus originated, recent data from Johns Hopkins University shows.
