CANKIRI, Turkey 

A total of 262 Turkish citizens who were evacuated on a flight from London were placed under a 14-day quarantine Friday to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.   

The passengers, who arrived at Esenboga Airport in the capital Ankara, were transported to Cankiri province on buses accompanied by police teams. 

In a bid to enforce social distancing, they were housed in student dormitories after checking their temperatures.

While the police teams took security measures around the building, provincial municipality teams disinfected the buses. 

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe and the United States. 

The pandemic has killed nearly 144,000 people and infected over 2.1 million, while more than 542,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures collated by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.   *Writing by Burak Dag