Coronavirus outbreak in Turkish prisons leaves three inmates dead
The global COVID-19 pandemic has hit several Turkish prisons, infecting at least 14 inmates so far and killing three.
The novel coronavirus has emerged in nearly half a dozen Turkish prisons, killing three inmates and infecting 14 more, according to the country’s justice minister.
"Seventeen convicts in five open penal institutions were diagnosed with COVID-19. Three convicts lost their lives during treatment," Abdulhamit Gul said in a press conference on Monday.
The deaths occurred in open prisons, Gul said, where prisoners are typically sent to serve lighter sentences in a minim-security environment. Of those being treated for the virus, one inmate with a chronic condition is in intensive care and the rest are in good health.
Turkey has among the fastest rising number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world. Over the weekend, the country’s infections neared 57,000 and its death toll hit 1,198, according to the health minister.
