Turkey on Sunday suspended flights to Iran and Afghanistan in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, Anadolu Agency reported.

“Flights to Iran and Afghanistan from Turkey have been suspended by our government as part of preventive measures against coronavirus,” the statement said.

On Saturday, sources from Turkish Airlines told TOLOnews that all flights from Afghanistan to Turkey had been stopped following a decision of the Turkish govt over fears of the spread of COVID-19.

Kam Air, Ariana Afghan Airlines and Turkish Airlines ordinarily have flights from Afghanistan to Turkey.

The airline sector has been one of the hardest hits as countries lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

The number of deaths from COVID-19 globally is more than 605,162 and the number of global coronavirus cases is 14,450,223, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Turkey so far 219,641 positive cases while 5,491 others lost their live due to COVID-19, the Johns Hopkins University data said.