A senior official from the Ministry of Family and Social Policies told a parliamentary committee on Thursday that Germany asked for Turkey’s advice about the care of senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ministry official Elmas Esra Ceceli told the parliamentary committee that convened in the capital Ankara to discuss the improvement of services for elderly citizens that Turkey succeeded in staving off the pandemic in nursing homes. "Fatalities in nursing homes for the elderly were around 30% to 80% elsewhere while it was 4% at most in Turkey," she said.

Ceceli said the success drew the attention of many countries. "Germany asked for advice from Turkey on the issue. They asked about the care of senior citizens in Turkey or sending Turkish personnel to help them with their care in Germany," she noted.