Report: 1,328 Public Employees in İstanbul Infected with Coronavirus

Photo: AA / Archive

Click to read the article in Turkish

At least 1,328 public employees in İstanbul have been infected with coronavirus, according to a report by the Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions (KESK).

Cases have been found in 35 workplaces, including post offices, civil registry offices, tax offices and employment offices, the report says and underlines that only three workplaces are under quarantine. It suggests that all public employees should be regularly tested for coronavirus and workplaces with infected employees should be quarantined.

İstanbul, a city of 16 million people, has been Turkey's most affected city from the pandemic, having nearly 60 percent of all cases. More than two thousand people died from coronsvrus in Turkey so far as the number of total cases exceeds 85 thousand.

"The government endangers the health of both public employees and citizens by enforcing work in non-vital public workplaces," the report says. "All laborers who don't work in vital sectors should be put on paid leave, their financial and social rights should be protected."

Workplaces are generally disinfected and employees are being provided with masks and sanitizers while some employees reported about a shortage of masks, the report notes.

While there have been places arranged for the accommodation of health workers, their number is not sufficient and health workers are not offered food in those places, according to the report. Using public transport also increases the risk for them, it says. (EMK/VK)