Quarantine evaders to be located in dormitories

ANKARA

The governors of several provinces in Turkey have announced that those evading quarantine rules for COVID-19 will be located in dormitories operated by the state-run Student Loans and Dormitories Institution (KYK).

The decision came after the number of new coronavirus cases in the country has spiked and media reports suggesting that people who should be in self-isolation are ignoring quarantine rules, attending weddings and other social events.

Those who will be located in dormitories will be also charged for the expenses during their stay.

The new regulation for quarantine evaders initially includes the provinces of Kayseri, Afyonkarahisar, Sakarya, Sivas, Yozgat, Tunceli, Bartın, Karaman and Düzce.

More than 500 people in Istanbul were penalized for flouting quarantine after testing positive for the novel coronavirus or coming in contact with those who did.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Sept. 10 administrative action was taken against 440 people, while procedural action was taken against 86 others for flouting the 14-day mandatory quarantine rule.

In the face of the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, Turkey has introduced tighter measures to curb the spread of the virus, making wearing face masks mandatory all time in public places.

Earlier on Sept. 10, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that some 52 percent of beds are occupied in the country’s hospitals, while intensive care unit occupancy rate is at 67 percent and respiratory machine occupancy rate is at 32 percent.

“So, we can easily say that there is no problem in this regard… Our primary aim with the measures we take is to stop the rise in new cases,” Koca added.