Muhammet Ikbal Arslan
12 March 2020•Update: 12 March 2020
LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) announced on Thursday that a second person in the country tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The country's Health Ministry said that the husband of a tourist who tested positive for the virus was also diagnosed with COVID-19.
"The condition of the female tourist who has been staying at Lefkosa Dr. Burhan Nalbantoglu Hospital for the last four days is stable," the ministry said in a written statement.
It added that the patient's husband, who had previously tested negative, was found to have contracted the virus after suffering from a high fever.
"Thus, the number of people tested positive for the coronavirus increased to two," the ministry said.
It noted that there were no other citizens under quarantine except the two.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Ali Pilli announced the country's first case of the novel coronavirus. A 65-year-old tourist from Germany had tested positive for the virus.
The TRNC had already announced that schools would be closed until March 15 as a precautionary measure.
The news followed Monday's announcement that two cases of the virus have been detected in the Greek Cypriot administration, the first to be confirmed on the divided island.
The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 4,600, with over 124,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The virus originated in Wuhan, China, last December and has spread to more than 110 countries. On Wednesday, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
*Writing by Sena Guler
