On Sunday, Prison Officers Association general secretary Steve Gillan described the coronavirus situation in prisons as "unprecedented" for both prisoners and staff. In response to the international coronavirus outbreak, Iran has freed tens of thousands of prisoners to prevent the spread of the illness behind bars. He explained this could be in the form of temporary release or the release of prisoners towards the end of their sentences. Mr Gillan said a limited amount of single-capacity cells in the prison system would cause problems, while 75 prisoners are currently in isolation. He added that no one in the prison system had tested positive for the disease as far as he was aware.

Source: Daily Mirror March 15, 2020 19:41 UTC