Turkey is set to bring back nearly 25,000 expats from 59 countries to allow them to spend the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at home with family amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Vice President Fuat Oktay said Turkey had always stood by its people regardless of their location in light of the health crisis, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives across the globe.
Several ministries and government institutions will coordinate during the widescale effort, he added.
Oktay said the Turkish nation and state were determined to face the coronavirus crisis with the help of the full solidarity of the public.
Ramadan will start on April 24.
So far, the coronavirus has claimed 1,643 lives in Turkey, with registered cases topping 74,000. The country has already repatriated tens of thousands of Turkish nationals living abroad.
After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe and the United States.
The pandemic has killed over 145,000 people and infected some 2.16 million, while more than 548,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
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