AKP deputy tests positive for coronavirus days after attending Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia
A ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy has tested positive positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) days after attending Friday prayers at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia. Akay is the third AKP deputy to announce that he was diagnosed with coronavirus after attending the prayers.
Duvar English
A ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy has tested positive positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) days after attending Friday prayers at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia.
AKP lawmaker Ahmet Akay, who posted a video from inside Hagia Sophia on July 24 without wearing a mask, has announced that he was diagnosed on Twitter.
"I'm resting at home and my health condition is very good," Akay wrote on Twitter.
Thousands of people, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and high level state officials, poured to Hagia Sophia for first Friday prayers at the site after it was converted into a mosque.
The overcrowded scenes and the lack of social distancing prompted concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
Akay is the third AKP deputy to announce that he was diagnosed with coronavirus after attending the prayers.
Lawmakers İsmail Bilen and Hüseyin Şanverdi have also tested positive.