Turkey lifts 6 virus quarantine sites

By Muhammet Boztepe

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey lifted quarantine measures on six areas in five provinces, with 156 others remain in isolation, the country's Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday.

As of 4 p.m. (1300GMT) on Wednesday, two district centers, six towns, 92 villages, 47 neighborhoods, and nine hamlets across 45 provinces were still under quarantine, the ministry said in a statement.

"Quarantine measures have been terminated in six sites in five provinces," said the statement, adding that the ongoing isolation precautions were part of efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The coronavirus has infected 34,109 people in Turkey so far, causing 725 deaths, while 1,582 people have recovered.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows over 1.44 million cases have been reported worldwide with a death toll of more than 83,400 and over 308,200 recoveries.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin