Dinner party, engagement ceremony increase COVID-19 cases in Turkey’s Kars

KARS

The number of COVID-19 cases in the northeastern province of Kars, which had been among cities where coronavirus cases are seen the least, has increased five times after a dinner feast held by a person discharged from hospital and an engagement ceremony two weeks ago.

The two events have led to the surge in the cases in the remote province, one of which was a dinner party thrown by a person who had just been discharged after receiving a COVID-19 treatment in hospital for relatives. An engagement ceremony organized in the city center around the same date was another reason for the surge in cases.

The number of cases in Kars, which was 30 at the beginning of May, increased to 176 due to non-compliance with the measures.

A total of seven patients died in the city and 2,145 people have been tested since March 10, when the country confirmed its first coronavirus case.

Some 56 of the patients who are currently being treated are being followed up in their homes and 53 in an emptied student dormitory now being used as a quarantine center.

Meanwhile, police teams are patrolling the city throughout the day, often making announcements to the residents of Kars to show them the severity of the disease.