MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2020) The Turkish government is taking steps to ensure a high degree of social distancing in the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and accommodation facilities for refugees and asylum seekers have been disinfected, spokeswoman of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Turkey Selin Unal told Sputnik.
Temporary accommodation centers house less than two percent of the 3.3 million Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey, but Unal stated that high levels of hygiene were being observed.
"Reportedly, necessary disinfection has been undertaken in the buildings, and masks, gloves, and disinfectants needed by the personnel have been procured and are being used. Additionally, we understand that measures have been taken to enhance social distancing and other precautionary measures applied across Turkey. This has taken place also in the temporary accommodation centers, as crowding has been reduced while receiving services," the UNHCR official stated.
Staff working for Turkey's Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), the organization that registers and refers asylum cases, have all received training to limit the transmission of COVID-19, Unal remarked.
"DGMM has informed that personnel have received the necessary training in cooperation with provincial directorates of health," Unal stated.
On Thursday, the country's Health Ministry announced 961 new cases of COVID-19, a slight decrease from the 972 new positive tests announced the day before. More than 153,500 cases of the disease have been reported in Turkey since the start of the outbreak, resulting in the deaths of 4,249 people.
