Travellers arriving in Turkey from Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and South Africa have been isolated and are being tested for the coronavirus, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Tuesday.
Britain reported over the weekend that it had identified a new COVID-19 variant, which is up to 70 percent more transmissible than the original. Following the announcement, other countries including Turkey have said they would be temporarily restricting travel from Britain in efforts to prevent the strain from entering their borders.
There are currently 335 people in isolation who were on air when Turkey suspended flights from the four countries on Sunday, Koca said on Twitter.
Since Dec. 14, a total of 4,603 travellers from Britain have been identified, registered and isolated in their residences or hotel rooms, even if they test negative on the first and seventh days since their arrival, the minister said.
Turkey recorded 19,103 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with 254 deaths in a 24-hour period bringing the official toll to 18,351 deaths since March.
Ahval