Group Who Travelled To Turkey For Hair Plugs Spark COVID Outbreak In Spain Hometown

A group of 18 people who travelled to Turkey to receive hair plugs has caused a COVID-19 outbreak in their Spanish municipality, forcing the cancelling of schools and public events.

The shocking incident occurred in the municipality of Calamonte in the province of Badajoz in the Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura.

The news was first reported by local sources yesterday (17 December).

The Government of Extremadura said there have been 29 new cases of COVID-19, and 250 contacts have been tracked from those cases in Calamonte, which has a population of about 6,200 residents.

Among those who tested positive is the larger part of a group of 18 people who travelled to Turkey to undergo cheap hair transplant surgery during a bank holiday.

There are conflicting reports to the number of travellers who took part in the trip as most Spanish sources say it was 18 while the newspaper El Mundo reported 19 people. (https://bit.ly/2K69Cun)

El Mundo also said the trip was to the Turkish city of Istanbul and took place between 6th and 9th December. Both the 7th and 8th December were public holidays in Spain.

A local hairstylist organised the trip for some of his clients which were mostly men and one woman, according to El Mundo.

Spanish sources said that almost all the unnamed travellers have tested positive for COVID-19 which has since spread at an alarming rate in the municipality.

The local government was forced to cancel football matches and other public events scheduled to take place over the weekend as they fear the number of cases is expected to grow.

The government has also closed down the San Jose public school which they announced in a statement yesterday (17 December).

The institution teaches around 511 students and is expected to reopen after the Christmas holidays “if the situation permits it” on 11th January.

Officials have not publicly confirmed that the outbreak was definitely caused by the group who travelled to Turkey as they continue to look into its source.


To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joana Mihajlovska, Agency:  Newsflash

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