UPDATE - Turkey ramps up measures to prevent coronavirus spread

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM PRESIDENTIAL SPOX

By Sena Guler, Firdevs Bulut and Muhammed Enes Calli

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's president on Thursday postponed foreign visits amid the global coronavirus outbreak.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's official visits abroad will be postponed "for a while," spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters at a news conference following a five-hour meeting at the presidential complex on the virus.

Kalin announced primary, middle and high schools would be closed for a week beginning March 16.

The one-week break will be brought forward, he said, referring to the break originally scheduled for April.

“Then, as of March 23, our students will continue their education through the Internet and television with the remote education system,” Kalin said, adding that the National Education Ministry carried out comprehensive work on the issue.

Universities will also be closed for three weeks starting March 16.

He added that necessary precautions will be taken not to pause university education.

Spectators will also not be allowed in to sporting events until the end of April in efforts to avert a COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey.

“All sporting events in the country until the end of April will be without fans,” he said.

Turkey confirmed Wednesday its first case of the virus, with the health minister urging citizens to avoid international travel unless absolutely necessary.

Kalin noted the condition of the patient, a man who had recently visited Europe, was currently stable.

Kalin said when considered the situation across the world, the measures taken in Turkey were highly effective and yielded good results.

The virus originated in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 114 countries.

The global death toll exceeds 4,900, with more than 134,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization that declared the outbreak "a pandemic."