‘We are Vulnerable to Other Diseases in Quarantine’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Leaving Turkey for Germany on March 12, Ketrin Köprü returned to Turkey last evening (March 17). She is one of the 1,957 people evacuated from nine European countries as part of Covid-19 measures yesterday.

The citizens will now be quarantined in public dormitories in İstanbul and Kocaeli. As for Ketrin Köprü, she will stay in Fatih Sultan Mehmet Student Dormitory in İstanbul for 14 days. Speaking to bianet, she says that the conditions of the dorm are not suitable for health.

"Here is no such thing as hygiene in the dorms that they put us. It is extremely dirty and not cleaned, it is not disinfected", says Köprü and shares the following details about the conditions of the dorm:

"There are no disinfectants or eau de cologne in rooms. There is only a trash bag with two towels, a soap, a pair of slippers, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Pillows and beds are very dirty.

'Even the heating system was not working'

"Students were apparently sent in a hurry, because there are still stuff in the wardrobes, no cleaning has been done whatsoever.

"We are getting vulnerable to different diseases in this dormitory that they have placed us for purposes of quarantine. In the face of a disease that we are told to keep our immune system strong, we have been put in a position where we are open to new diseases. Even the central heating system was not working yesterday evening.

"And, yet another thing... We are just thrown away here, no one gives us information. There are no authorities here, apart from two police officers in the hall. When we ask them something, we cannot get any answers to our questions. They say that they do not know anything.

"We did not undergo any medical check except for the form that we filled out. Everyone is very nervous because we are not given any information."

What happened?

After primary, secondary and high schools and universities were temporarily closed due to coronavirus on March 16, some student dormitories in Ankara and Konya were evacuated in the middle of the night on Saturday and those returning from Umrah in Saudi Arabia were placed under a 14-day quarantine. While 5,392 people have been put in three dorms in Ankara, there are 4,938 people in two dorms in Konya.

As flights from nine European countries, namely Germany, Spain, France, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands, were banned, the citizens evacuated from these countries yesterday evening (March 17) have also been reportedly placed in dormitories in İstanbul and Kocaeli: 535 people in KYK Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Male Student Dorm, 1,205 people in KYK Fatih Sultan Mehmet Male-Female Student Dorm and 217 people in KYK Florya Beşyol Female Student Dorm. (RT/SD)