About half of Iran's state workers stay at home as coronavirus death toll nears 2,000

FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting of the Iranian government task force on the coronavirus, in Tehran, Iran March 21, 2020. Official Presidential website/Handout via REUTERS

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday about half of all government employees were staying at home as part of measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, state TV reported.

Another measure to contain the outbreak, the temporary release of prisoners, would be extended until the end of the current Iranian month of Farvardin, around April 18, Rouhani said.

Iran is one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic outside China.

The death toll from the disease in Iran increased by 122 to 1,934 on Tuesday, according to Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour. The total number of people diagnosed with the disease increased by 1,762 over the past 24 hours, to 24,811, he added on state TV.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Alex Richardson)