In full protective gear, two doctors climb the stairs four at a time. Their first task of the day: to test a woman who has had contact with a coronavirus patient in Istanbul.
Flustered by the appearance of men in white bodysuits on her landing, the resident in the populous Fatih district answers their questions before she is tested.
She will get her results the next day.
In Turkey, nearly 6,000 teams of "tracers" – all health professionals – track potential Covid-19 cases 24 hours a day by identifying and following up with people who have had contact with patients.
By helping find new cases who are then quickly isolated and treated, the Turkish government says tracing has helped to contain the outbreak and limit the number of deaths.
Even if some observers have questioned the reliability of official figures, Turkey's death toll relative to countries of a similar size like Germany is low given the number of infections. There were 3,739 fatalities recorded and more than 137,000 cases, according to data released over the weekend.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday that he believed tracing was "at the heart of [Turkey's] success" in the fight against the disease.
Each tracing process identifies an average of 4.5 people who have been in contact with a patient, according to Mr Koca.
More than 460,000 people had been contacted by tracers in Turkey, he said on April 29.
To find potential cases, the doctors do "real detective work", said Melek Nur Aslan, director of the public health agency in Fatih district.
When a Covid-19 patient is identified, "We try to retrace their journey in the last 48 hours before the appearance of the first symptoms until the moment when they are tested positive" for the virus, she said.
For this, the doctors go to the patients' bedside or home with a list of questions: where did they go? Who did they speak to? Were they wearing a mask?
They then compile a list of potentially infected people whom they ask to self-isolate for 14 days.
If the person has symptoms or develops them during their confinement, they are tested.
This is exactly what happened in Fatih, where the doctors have just intervened: the woman they visited complained of fatigue and migraines.
Once the doctors leave the building, they remove their protective equipment and throw it into a large rubbish bag.
One of them carries a box containing the sample that will be sent to the laboratory during the day.
If the test is positive, the woman "will appear as a confirmed case in our file, which will lead to a new tracing process", said one of the tracers, Mustafa Sever, a GP.
The tracers' role will also be crucial to avoid a second wave of contagion as Turkey prepares to loosen restrictive measures, including reopening shopping centres and hairdressers from Monday.
Unlike in some other countries where tracing has led to debates over confidentiality and how the data is used, Turkey began this route to tackling the pandemic from the start.
Mr Aslan said only the health workers in charge of tracking potential coronavirus cases have access to the data collected.
Tracing is not new in Turkey – Mr Sever said he had carried out similar "investigations" during measles epidemics in Istanbul.
The tracers also rely on family doctors who regularly call their patients to enquire about their health and ensure they are respecting lockdown measures.
In Istanbul alone, 1,200 teams of two to four tracers constantly track potential cases, Mr Aslan said.
In addition to their tracing efforts, they also provide advice on how to avoid infecting others and reassure people they visit.
"When we go to people's homes, they see that someone is taking care of them, that they are not neglected," said Mr Sever.
"If they are worried, we speak a little with them to reassure them."
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
