Turkey quarantines 90 expats evacuated from Iraq

By Muhyeddin Beyca

BATMAN, Turkey (AA) - At least 90 Turkish nationals evacuated from Iraq were placed under a 14-day quarantine on Wednesday to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

All 90 expats, brought back to Turkey via buses, were sent to the southeastern Batman province for a 14-day quarantine in dormitories after health checks.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Safi Ozperk said they are currently hosting 162 expats from Kazakhstan and Iraq at the dormitory.

Ozperk added the country continues to bring back its citizens who wish to return home.

The Turkish government has repatriated nearly 70,000 of its nationals from various countries since the start of the outbreak.

As of Tuesday, the country reported a total of 141,475 coronavirus cases, 98,889 of which have fully recovered. The death toll stands at 3,894.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 187 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed almost 292,000 people, with total infections more than 4.26 million, while over 1.49 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

* Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara