ANKARA 

Italy closed its ports to irregular migrants saved by NGOs in the Mediterranean in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to media reports. 

A legal decision adopted late Tuesday by the health, interior, foreign and transportation ministers closes ports to those saved beyond the Italian search and rescue region in the Mediterranean.

The four-way decision says Italy, which has been under emergency for seven weeks, will remain shut until further notice.

The Aylan Kurdi rescue vessel, named after a toddler whose lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015 and became an international symbol, was not allowed to deck at an Italian port in recent days.  

Residents in Lampedusa, Italy’s closest point to Africa, reportedly held a demonstration due to irregular migrants, with reports saying protesters were critical of migrants who defied quarantine measures.  

Reports added residents’ anger was a result of three migrants traveling on the island.  

Italy has reported 17,669 fatalities resulting from the virus.  

There are nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases worldwide, almost 87,500 deaths, and more than 317,600 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.  

Despite the severity of the virus, most patients experience mild symptoms and recover.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas