Prisons in Turkey free of coronavirus: Justice minister

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said Friday there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in prisons in Turkey.

“Convicts and detainees are entrusted to the state,” Gul said, adding that the country makes all kinds of diligent efforts for their health.

Turkey has so far confirmed four confirmed deaths from coronavirus known as COVID-19, with 359 cases.

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 163 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of more than 246,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 10,000, and over 86,000 have recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.