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Ombudsman Institution

5. Measures Taken After the First Confirmed Case in the
Country

WHO declared the novel coronavirus disease as pandemic on 11 March
2020. On this date, the Minister of Health Dr. Fahrettin KOCA confirmed
the first positive case for COVID-19 in Türkiye on 10 March 2020. In addition
to quarantine measures; social isolation, administrative measures as well as
economic measures were launched, thereby turning the fight against the
pandemic into three-step fight. The first step was to prevent the entry of
positive cases into the country by way of quarantine measures, the second
step was to prevent the spread of the pandemic across the country by way of
individual and social isolation measures, and the third step was to successfully
manage the treatment process of the infected people.
5.1. Actions to Get the Pandemic Under Control

As of 14 March 2020, five people who contacted the first case were tested
positive, and they were isolated. The planes, trains, buses, subways and other
public transportation vehicles were completely disinfected. The measures to
be taken in case one of the passengers is tested positive for COVID-19 during
and after the flight have been determined in addition to the measures to be
taken for the airport staff and passport control officials.

Symptom monitoring and 14-day isolation were performed for those that
came from Umrah. When the number of infected people who came from
Umrah increased, more than 5 thousand people were isolated in the evacuated
student dormitories after their return from Mecca. As the flights to and from
almost all European countries were suspended, the Turkish citizens in these
countries were brought back to Türkiye, and isolated at the above-mentioned
student dormitories for 14 days.

Testing kits with rapid results were imported from China. These kits were
tested before usage and it was found out that the rate of inaccuracy was high
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so these kits were not used and orders were cancelled. The number of test

15 http://www.haber7.com/guncel/haber/2956946cindenbuyukumutlarlagetirilenkoronavirust-
estkitlerihayalkirikligiyaratti/?detay=1 Access Date: 03/05/2020

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