Turkey to close Iran border, halts flights due to coronavirus

Turkey will close its border with Iran as a precautionary measure to halt the potential spread of coronavirus after the neighboring country reported 43 cases of the disease, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Sunday.

All highways and railways will be closed as of 5 p.m. (14:00 GMT) on Sunday and flights from Iran suspended, he told reporters. Eight people have died in Iran, the highest death toll from the new coronavirus outside of China.