Muhammet Fatih Gokmen and Sercan Kucuksahin
17 May 2020•Update: 17 May 2020
KAYSERI/KIRIKKALE, Turkey
Turkish nationals were evacuated from Germany and Tanzania early Sunday and placed under a 14-day quarantine to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A total of 157 Turks from Germany were taken to Kayseri province and later sent to a student dormitory for quarantine after health checks.
In a separate operation, Turkey returned 53 citizens from Tanzania.
They arrived in Ankara on a chartered flight and were sent to Kirikkale following similar procedures in Kayseri.
Turkey has repatriated nearly 70,000 nationals from 107 nations, under instructions by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
Ankara reported 148,067 coronavirus cases Saturday, 108,137 of which have fully recovered. The death toll stands at 4,096.
More than 4.63 million cases have been reported in 188 countries since the virus emerged in China last December, with the hardest-hit areas being the US and Europe.
A significant portion of COVID-19 patients, nearly 2 million, have recovered, but the virus has claimed more than 311,000 lives, according to data compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.
