Iran has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners to limit the spread of the new coronavirus in overcrowded prisons, the BBC reports.
Prisoners are allowed to leave without a coronavirus test and have been guaranteed, explained Golamhosein Esmails, a justice system spokesman.
The release shall not apply to prisoners serving more than five years' imprisonment.
More than 90,000 infections have been recorded worldwide and 3,110 people have died from coronavirus disease "Covid-19" - mostly in China.
Iran, on the other hand, has the highest number of coronavirus infections in the Middle East and the most dead of the epidemic outside China, where the virus began to spread last December. In less than two weeks, at least 77 people have died from the disease in Iran.
Iranian media reported on Monday that senior leader Advisor Mohamad Mirmohamadi has died of a new coronavirus disease at the age of 71. Last Thursday, one of the country's leading priests, Hadi Koshrosaki, died of an illness.
Vice President Masumeh Ebtekar and Deputy Minister of Health Iraj Hariri also became ill with Covid-19.
Coronavirus infection was also detected in 23 Iranian parliamentarians .
