More than 90 Turkish Cypriots die from COVID-19 in UK

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

At least 91 Turkish Cypriots living in the UK have died from the COVID-19 pandemic, a representative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in London said Thursday.

Oya Tuncali said the British government was slow and imprudent in combating the pandemic and the Turkish Cypriot community has been negatively affected like everyone else from the virus because of the government's attitude.

"In this challenging period, we lost many of our nationals, young and old, from the age of 26 to the age of 94," she said.

The death toll among Turkish expatriates in the UK rose to 47. At least 37 bodies were returned to Turkey for funerals.

In the UK, the virus has infected more than 202,300 and caused and excess of 30,100 deaths, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 187 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed nearly 265,000 worldwide, with total infections greater than 3.7 million, while recoveries surpassing 1.2 million.

* Writing Fahri Aksut