Turkey Confirms First Case of Novel Coronavirus
Turkey’s Ministry of Health announced on March 11 that the first confirmed case of novel coronavirus has been identified in a man who recently returned from Europe.
Turkey’s Health Minister did not provide further details about the COVID-19 patient or which European country he had traveled to.
Fahrettin Koca said the patient has been quarantined and family members and other citizens who had close contact with him have also been quarantined.
Koca told the state-run Anadolu Agency, “Initial tests have been conducted and if the virus has been transmitted anywhere, it is very limited.”
Turkey’s Health Minister added, “The coronavirus is not stronger than the measures we will take.”
Turkey had not previously announced any cases of coronavirus, though there had always been the possibility that the virus existed in the country or could be transmitted during a certain period.
Turkish airports have been monitoring all foreign passengers for some time. Flights to South Korea, China and Italy have been canceled, and land borders with Iraq and Iran have been closed.
Koca said on Wednesday that hospital staff leave, doctor and nurse vacations have also been canceled.
Turkey has a population of approximately 83 million and is also home to the world’s largest group of refugees, with close to five million refugees, mostly Syrian, present in the country.
Source: Radio Farda
