Turkey issues travel alert to Mongolia over coronavirus

By Ahmet Furkan Mercan

ANKARA (AA) - Due to the threat that China’s coronavirus outbreak might spread to Mongolia, Turkey on Monday issued a travel warning to Mongolia.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that owing to the close ties and travel between China and Mongolia, the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in Mongolia is high.

The ministry stressed that the resources of Mongolia’s health institutions and organizations are limited and warned people to reconsider their travel plans.

The ministry added that many social activities, including some restaurants, cinema, theatre, and entertainment centers, have already been restricted by the Mongolian government to prevent the spread of the outbreak.

The virus has been a major concern on the world stage since its outbreak in Wuhan, China last December.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), to date the virus has caused 910 deaths and infected 40,484 people across 25 countries. France has reported 11 cases of the virus but no fatalities.

The WHO has already declared the coronavirus a global health emergency and will convene a global research and innovation forum of world scientists in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the epidemic.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut