Turkey’s health minister on Sunday announced that the test results of 42 evacuees airlifted from Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak — would be released on Monday, adding that there were no signs of coronavirus, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Speaking to members of the press in the Ankara, Fahrettin Koca reiterated that there were no signs of the coronavirus among the evacuees, who arrived in Ankara late Saturday, and that no coronavirus cases had been diagnosed in Turkey.
Emphasizing the measures against the virus in Turkey, he added that authorities had taken 18 samples to be studied in the country’s National Virology Laboratory, where test results came out negative.
He noted that follow-up procedures were continuing for travelers coming from China through thermal cameras, quarantine rooms, negative pressure stretchers and medical facilities.
Koca added that similar precautions would also be taken for other countries as well.
The coronavirus has killed at least 304 people in China, with over 14,000 infected.
Since its outbreak late last year, China has put Wuhan under lockdown in a bid to contain the virus and is building a 1,000-bed hospital to treat those affected.
Beyond China, the virus has spread to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the US, Singapore, France, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India, Nepal and Canada.
Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.