Turkey quarantines 14,000 citizens returning from abroad

Turkey has quarantined nearly 14,000 citizens who came from abroad as part of measures to stem the spread of novel coronavirus, Anadolu Agency reported a minister as saying on Saturday.

A total of 13,968 citizens are under quarantine at the dormitories across 63 provinces, said Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoglu who oversees student dormitories in the country.

Kasapoglu also said that 17,504 citizens were released from quarantine after completing the mandatory 14-day period.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions. The pandemic has killed over 103,500 people, and infected more than 1.7 million, while over 382,000 patients have recovered, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Turkey confirmed 95 more deaths from the virus on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 1,101. The number of confirmed cases surged to 52,167 with 2,965 patients recovering and discharged from hospitals.

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Ankara has taken strict measures to limit social contact, quarantining some towns, banning mass prayers, closing schools, bars and restaurants and limiting inter-city travel.

President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called on citizens to impose their own quarantine but stopped short of imposing a broad stay-at-home order. Last week, Turkey announced it will monitor the mobile phones of those diagnosed with COVID-19 to ensure they do not break quarantine.

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