Turkey: Fenerbahce athletes test negative for COVID-19

ANKARA

Tests of 65 people in three branches of Istanbul’s Fenerbahce sports organization found that none have contracted coronavirus, the Turkish club announced Tuesday.

Tests of the women's and men's volleyball teams, women's basketball team, and the staff had initially yielded five positives, but retests proved these cases to be negative, the club announced on its website.

Last week, Fenerbahce announced that one player and a medical staffer on its football team had contracted the virus, along with four members of the men's basketball team.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 178 countries and regions, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed 800,000, while the death toll is nearly 39,000 and to date more than 170,000 people have recovered.

In Turkey, 168 people have so far died from the outbreak.