Iran to temporarily free 54,000 prisoners as coronavirus spreads

Iran will temporarily release 54,000 people from prisons and deploy hundreds of thousands of health workers as officials announced a slew of measures to contain the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreak outside China.

Pressure has been mounting on Iranian officials to take action against the virus as the death toll and number of cases rapidly shoots up.

 Iran has reported 92 deaths, as 586 new infections were reported overnight, bringing the total up to 2,922, state media reported.

The country has also come under pressure as Middle Eastern nations, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have reported cases with links to the Iranian city of Qom, 
where several holy sites are regularly visited by large crowds.