PodcastTurkey detains 19 people over 'provocative' coronavirus posts
A total of 19 people were detained over sharing "unfounded and provocative" posts on social media about coronavirus, Turkey's Interior Ministry has said. The interior ministry statement said there were social media posts which were targeting officials and spreading panic and fear by suggesting that the virus had spread widely in Turkey and that officials had taken insufficient measures.
Reuters
Pilgrims attempt to escape from coronavirus quarantine, confront police in TurkeyTurkey has identified 93 suspects who have made "unfounded and provocative" postings on social media about the coronavirus outbreak and has detained 19 of them, the Turkish Interior Ministry said.
The move came as Turkey closed cafes, entertainment and sports venues, suspended mass prayers in mosques and extended a flight ban to 20 countries to contain the coronavirus spread, as the number of confirmed cases exceeded 45.
The interior ministry statement said there were social media posts which were targeting officials and spreading panic and fear by suggesting that the virus had spread widely in Turkey and that officials had taken insufficient measures.
"Nineteen of these suspects have been detained and the process of detaining others who have been identified is continuing," said the statement, issued late on March 16.
Number of coronavirus cases increases to 47 in TurkeyOn March 11, Turkey became the last major economy to report an outbreak of coronavirus and Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced 29 newly confirmed cases late on March 16. No deaths have been reported.
The Istanbul governor's office said on March 16 that Turkish citizens who request to return from nine European countries would be brought back by midnight on March 17 on condition that they are quarantined for 14 days.