Turkey: 226 people from abroad quarantined

SAKARYA, Turkey

The Istanbul airport security team on Tuesday escorted 226 people who arrived in the country from abroad to designated dormitories for their mandatory quarantine period.

They received health check ups by authorized staff at the airport where they will spend the next 14 days.

During the quarantine period, they will be closely monitored for coronavirus symptoms.

Sociologists and psychologists will also provide support to those under quarantine.

Turkey has also evacuated its students from England, Ireland, Switzerland and Poland upon their request. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu previously said that a total of 3,358 students living in seven countries had sought to return home.

The virus first emerged in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 168 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

There are more than 382,000 confirmed cases worldwide and the death toll now tops 16,500, while over 101,000 people have recovered, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.