98 Turkish citizens abroad died due to COVID-19: Minister

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Some 98 Turkish citizens living abroad have died due to COVID-19, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

“We have evacuated over 20,000 Turkish citizens from more than 50 countries,” he told state broadcaster TRT World.

There are nearly 10,000 Turkish citizens abroad, the minister said, adding that Turkey will continue to evacuate its citizens abroad in line with the country’s quarantine policy.

“Of course, we will continue to bring our citizens in the coming period, considering the quarantine conditions. We continue our support for those we cannot bring,” said the minister.

Turkey places evacuees under a 14-day quarantine after being brought back from abroad as part of measures against the spread of coronavirus.

The minister said he had a phone call with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum and Turkey will repatriate almost 1,900 Algerians as of April 3, he added.

On Turkey’s National Solidarity Campaign, which has been launched to aid the fight against COVID-19, he said the Turkish nationals living overseas were interested in donating. “In the cabinet meeting, we decided to donate 5.2 million Turkish Liras together with our ministers and friends who attended the meeting,” he said.

The campaign aims to provide additional support to people with low incomes and who suffer economic problems due to the measures taken against the spread of the disease.

The death toll in Turkey from the coronavirus rose to 214, while the number of confirmed coronavirus cases surged to 13,531, the Health Ministry announced on March 31.

A total of 210 Turkish citizens are placed under 14-day quarantine in Manisa province on March 30, after they were evacuated back home from the U.S.