Turkey on Friday started testing all suspected cases of coronavirus in more cities with additional labs, and the number of positive cases is likely to increase beyond the current figure of 359, according to Bloomberg.
Turkey has so far focused on people who came from abroad or were in touch with foreigners who recently arrived in the country. The government transferred thousands of people directly from airports to 14-day quarantine at hostels around the nation, screening them with a homemade 75-minute diagnosis kit that detects the virus.
The number of positive cases in Turkey could dramatically increase with the arrival of 15-minute diagnosis kits from China on Friday and as the government gradually increases the number of labs to 36 from 16. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a 100 billion lira ($15.4 billion) plan to help businesses ride out the economic storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has already started to cost jobs.
The outbreak has claimed four lives in Turkey thus far, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday.