Turkey shuts Iran border, stops incoming flights due to coronavirus
Turkey has closed its border with Iran and halted incoming flights as a precaution to stop the potential spread of coronavirus after the neighboring country reported 43 cases of the disease, the health minister said on Sunday.
All highways and railways were closed as of 5 p.m. (14:00 GMT) and flights from Iran suspended, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters. Flights from Turkey to Iran are still allowed.
Eight people have died in Iran, the highest death toll from the new coronavirus outside of China where it originated.
Five people in the southeastern Turkish city of Van were found to not have coronavirus after being put under observation, Koca said. Turkey has been monitoring the border with thermal cameras in recent days, he added.
There are three main land crossings along the roughly 500 km (310 mile) border between Turkey’s southeast and Iran’s northwest.
“The virus came from China to Qom city. A merchant from Qom, who died of the virus, used to travel regularly to China … Flights were suspended between the two countries but he used indirect flights,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki said.
He urged people to avoid traveling to Qom, a major destination for Shi’ite pilgrims 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran.
“Obviously we do not recommend trips to Qom or any other holy Shi’ite cities in Iran,” Namaki said on state television.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur announced the 15 new cases earlier on Sunday: “So far, we have 43 infected cases and the death toll is eight.”
Eight of the new infections were in Qom, where authorities have closed schools and religious seminaries. In Tehran and some other cities, schools have been shut until Tuesday.
In other moves against the virus, Turkey closed its border with Iran and Afghanistan suspended air and road travel to and from the country.