UPDATE - COVID-19: Turkey continues evacuating citizens abroad

ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Omer Faruk Simsek, Gurkan Ozer and Abdullah Ozkul

SAKARYA/BOLU, NIGDE, Turkey (AA) - Another 441 Turkish citizens were placed under 14-day quarantine Thursday after being brought back from abroad amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

A ro-ro ship carried 25 truck drivers from Ukraine to Karasu Port in Sakarya province. They were transferred to an evacuated dormitory in the province after their first health check.

The evacuees were transferred to rooms one by one following a second health screening to be observed for 14 days.

Separately, 232 people flew to Turkey from Uzbekistan. The group of businessmen, students and their families later traveled to Sakarya’s Hendek district by bus.

They were housed in another dormitory after a medical examination.

Sociologists and psychologists from the Family, Labor and Social Services Ministry will provide psychological support for truck drivers during their quarantine period.

Earlier, 1,134 people underwent health screening and were housed in dormitories as part of coronavirus measures.

Meanwhile, another 168 passengers were transferred to dormitories in Bolu province.

Citizens coming to Istanbul from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria and Moldova were taken to the city by bus following medical examinations.

In the evening, a group of 30 passengers who came from Greece to Istanbul Airport were brought to Bolu by bus.

As part of the coronavirus measures, 39 citizens from Greece, 10 from Colombia, 23 from Sweden and 138 from France were brought to the city.

Meanwhile, another 170 students and 14 truck drivers were brought to the country from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The citizens, who were brought to Mersin province by ship, were later transferred to a dormitory in Nigde province.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 175 countries and regions.

The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now surpassed 529,000 while the death toll is above 23,900 and more than 122,000 have recovered, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most people who contract the virus suffer only mild symptoms before making a recovery.