Some 30,000 citizens who recently returned from other countries still reside in student dormitories throughout Turkey to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine required to curb the coronavirus, Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu announced Thursday.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures including travel bans, Turkey repatriated more than 40,000 citizens stranded abroad and plans to bring in some 25,000 others during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Initially starting with countries where the outbreak was raging, Turkey imposed a 14-day quarantine period for everyone coming from abroad starting from early March, placing arrived passengers in student dormitories administered by the General Directorate of Higher Education Student Loans and Dormitories (KYK).

Kasapoğlu said 29,284 citizens currently spend their quarantine periods in dormitories in 76 provinces, while 34,452 people so far completed their quarantine and departed for their homes.

Student dormitories continue to play a critical role in the fight against the coronavirus, Kasapoğlu said, citing the coordination efforts of the Foreign Ministry for repatriation of citizens and the Interior Ministry for their settlement in dormitories and arranging their departures.

Kasapoğlu noted that largely positive feedback from citizens who spend their quarantines in dormitories is a source of pride and joy for the ministry, adding that they aim to return dormitories to their real owners – students – once the outbreak is over.