UPDATE - Turkey: Umrah passengers quarantined in dormitories

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By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - All passengers returning from the Umrah pilgrimage since last night have been placed in separate rooms of dormitories as part of coronavirus quarantine measures, the Turkish health minister announced Sunday.

Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet that those showing symptoms of the virus were taken to a hospital to be tested, adding that the passengers were placed in dormitories in the capital Ankara and in the central province of Konya.

*** He said that those who earlier returned from Umrah have also undergone the relevant medical procedures.

Earlier on Sunday, Koca persistently asked passengers returning from Umrah not to leave their homes or accept visitors for 14 days.

“Passing the medical screening does not guarantee zero risk,” he said, adding that a citizen who returned from Umrah last week tested positive for the virus.

*** Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, Turkey's youth and sports minister, said student dormitories in Turkey currently have a capacity to host some 10,000 people for the 14-day quarantine.

*** Earlier, Ali Erbas, head of Turkey’s top religious body, said at least 5,300 passengers were expected to return from Umrah on Sunday.

***Citizens who wish to cut short their trip and return earlier are also being facilitated, he added.

*** "On their return from Umrah, our passengers were meticulously checked by the doctors and medical personnel sent by the [Turkish] Health Ministry to Saudi Arabia, and were informed about not leaving their homes for 14 days and not accepting guests," the religious body said.

On Feb. 27, Saudi Arabia suspended the entry of pilgrims seeking to perform Umrah, or minor pilgrimages, over fears of the outbreak.

Following the decision, Turkey has also suspended new registrations for Umrah.

Umrah is a voluntary minor pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina that Muslims can perform at any time of the year.

Turkey so far has six confirmed coronavirus cases.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700 with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak a pandemic.