Turkey: Some 13,000 from abroad in quarantine amid virus

ANKARA

Nearly 13,000 citizens who came from abroad are currently in quarantine in Turkey as part of measures to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's youth and sports minister said on Tuesday.

A total of 12,912 citizens are under quarantine at dormitories across 57 provinces, said Mehmet Kasapoglu.

Over 20,400 citizens left the dormitories after their quarantine time ended, he said.

Turkey on Monday confirmed 98 more deaths from coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 1,296. The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 61,049.

The virus has spread to 185 countries, infecting more than 1.92 million people since first emerging in Wuhan, China late last year. The global death toll is over 119,700, while nearly 458,200 people have recovered.

* Writing by Handan Kazanci in Istanbul