Private lab in Istanbul prompts outrage for conducting COVID-19 testing in residential building

A private laboratory located on the bottom floor of an apartment building in Istanbul started conducting COVID-19 testing despite the outrage of residents. While residents noted that the practice drew in large crowds, the municipality was unable to interrupt the practice as the lab reportedly held an official permit.

Thursday December 03 2020 01:28 pm

Duvar English

A private laboratory on the bottom floor of an apartment building in Istanbul started conducting COVID-19 tests in their office, prompting neighbors' outrage, daily BirGün reported on Dec. 3.

"Eighty percent of the apartments in our building are residences. I recently started to notice large crowds gathering in front of our building, inside it and on the front steps," resident Melisa Ürkün said.

After finding out about the lab's COVID-19 testing, the resident confronted them and protested how unregulated their testing was conducted.

"There's no way to maintain safe distancing in the building, they don't take people's temperature, and the building isn't disinfected," Ürkün said.

The building's residents reported the unregulated testing to the Beyoğlu Municipality, who said they were unable to interrupt since the lab had a license for testing.

Residents have also sought help from the Health Ministry and the Presidency's communication directorate, but haven't received a response yet.

Meanwhile, the lab said that they were assigned by the Health Ministry to conduct their testing and that they only tested anyone who wished to travel abroad, and didn't receive any symptomatic patients.