Some 70 Turkish nationals aboard a Greek passenger ferry have tested positive for the coronavirus and are being treated at a hotel near the Greek port of Piraeus, the Hürriyet daily reported, citing the Turkish ambassador in Athens.
The ferry, leased by a Turkish company, was stranded off Piraeus after being placed under quarantine with some passengers and crew among the 383 people on board infected with COVID-19.
There are a total of 151 Turkish nationals on the ferry, and nearly 70 of them have tested positive for the coronavirus, the ambassador said.
The Turks who tested negative have been put in a 14-day quarantine and will be evacuated to Turkey after the isolation period, he said.
The ferry was carrying shipyard workers to Cadiz in southern Spain, but it was turned back from its destination after Spain imposed travel restrictions to combat the deadly coronavirus.
Before arriving at the Greek port, the captain of the ferry intended to dock at Aliağa in Turkey’s İzmir province, but local officials rejected the plan, according to the report. Instead, they offered to evacuate only the Turkish passengers, but the captain considered it a risk and sailed to Greece.
Turkish Minute