PAKISTAN AND TURKEY CLOSES BORDER WITH IRAN AMID CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

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Sun 23 February 2020:

Pakistani authorities closed Pak-Iran border at Taftan town in Chagai district on Sunday, to avoid spread of coronavirus reportedly found in Iran.

According to official sources, the transit gate and joint markets at the border have been closed, while trade and traveling activities suspended.

Authorities said precautionary and protective measures are being taken in Taftan where 100-bed tent hospital is being established to combat emergency situation at Pak-Iran border.

TURKEY CLOSES BORDER WITH IRAN

Turkey has closed its border with Iran as a preventative measure against the deadly coronavirus outbreak, shortly after Iranian officials announced eight people were killed in the country on Turkey’s eastern border.

The Kapıköy border in eastern Van province and the Esendere border gate in Hakkari province were closed to visitors from Iran, sources said Sunday.

Iran became the first country in the Middle East with confirmed cases of the COVID-19, as the health ministry announced 43 people have been infected so far.

Authorities in Van, a popular destination for Iranian tourists in eastern Turkey, installed thermal cameras at the Kapıköy border crossing on Thursday while border officers in contact with visitors have been ordered to wear protective gear. Measures came amid an influx of Iranian tourists to Van, which shares Turkey’s longest border with Iran, ahead of next month’s Nowruz holiday.

Ankara has taken serious precautions and has successfully evacuated its citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly virus, which killed over 2,444 people in China alone.

Recently, the Iraqi government led by caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also announced that they have banned all arrivals from Iran over concerns about the spread of the virus.

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