COVID-19: Turkey brings back citizens from Kyrgyzstan

By Mehmet Ali Derdiyok

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey on Friday repatriated four of its citizens from Kyrgyzstan for COVID-19 treatment in the country.

Burhanettin C. (51), Ismail S. (55), Mehmet Yilmaz (47), and Ramazan Ozdemir (39) landed at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul at 7 a.m. local time (0400GMT) and were transported to various hospitals.

Kyrgyzstan’s virus cases have been on the rise over recent days, with 521 additions taking the total to 12,498, including 167 deaths, on Thursday.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, Turkey has repatriated nearly 70,000 of its citizens from 107 countries.

It has also sent medical supplies to help over 140 countries in the fight against the pandemic.

COVID-19 recoveries in Turkey have been increasing by the day, reaching 198,820 on Thursday – an overwhelming proportion of the country’s total case count of 216,873.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur in Ankara