Over 3,000 Passengers from Europe to be Quarantined in İstanbul, Kocaeli

* Photo: Şebnem Coşkun - İstanbul / AA

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has announced that 3,614 citizens will be brought back from 9 European countries until midnight.

While the citizens will come to Turkey in 34 charter flights by Turkish Airlines (THY), they will be quarantined in dormitories in Kocaeli and İstanbul.

3,614 citizens of Turkey will return to the country from the following nine European countries: Germany, Spain, France, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), coordinated by the Governor's Office of İstanbul, the preparations have been completed in the dormitories where the citizens that will arrive in İstanbul from Europe will be quarantined/observed for 14 days as part of the precautions introduced by the Ministry of Health and Science Board.

Passengers from Europe will be quarantined in İstanbul in three public dormitories of the Credit and Dormitories Institution (KYK) announced by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, namely in KYK Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Male Student Dorm, KYK Fatih Sultan Mehmet Male-Female Student Dorm and KYK Florya Beşyol Female Student Dorm.

Police officers have taken security measures in front of dormitories.

'A number of problems arose'

As for the ones who have recently returned from Umrah in Saudi Arabia, they have been quarantined in Ankara, Kayseri and Konya.

Addressing the criticisms that authorities were late to quarantine those people and the conditions at dorms are unfavorable, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said yesterday (March 16):

"We know that a number of problems arose about the incoming passengers in the beginning. Today, we came together with our fellow ministers. Plans have been made to clarify the isolations conditions, the medical follow-up of the quarantined people as well as how and by which authority the lodging services will be provided in the following period. I do not think that any more problems will arise from now on." (AS/SD)