Turkey producing 1M face masks every week amid coronavirus

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar says Turkey is also producing 5,000 medical overalls and 5,000 litres of alcohol-based disinfectants every week to combat deadly infection.

Health workers mourn outside Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine during a commemoration for professor Cemil Tascooglu, the country's first medical professional to pass away from the Covid-19 disease, on April 2, 2020, in Istanbul.
AFP

Health workers mourn outside Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine during a commemoration for professor Cemil Tascooglu, the country's first medical professional to pass away from the Covid-19 disease, on April 2, 2020, in Istanbul.

Turkey is producing one million protective masks, 5,000 medical overalls and 5,000 litres of alcohol-based disinfectants every week, the country's defence minister said.

"We have mobilised all fronts of the ministry to win the fight led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Hulusi Akar who held a teleconference on Friday with heads of armed forces to discuss preventive measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

He said 650 staff came from abroad since March 1 and they were quarantined. Of them, 84 remain under observation.

Akar recalled that Turkey dispatched medical aid to Italy and Spain, countries that are worst hit in Europe by the novel coronavirus.

Turkey has registered 20,921 coronavirus cases, and the death toll stands at 425.

A total of 484 people have fully recovered following treatment.

Since appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 181 countries and regions.

Data compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections surpassing 1.1 million with nearly 59,000 deaths. An excess of 226,000 have recovered.

Partial curfew

Turkey imposed a partial curfew on citizens under the age of 20 effective from midnight on Friday as part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

Turkey has also decided to shut down the borders of 31 cities, including Istanbul, for all vehicles, excluding transit passage and essential supplies such as food, medical and sanitary products, to contain the disease.

Route 6