Turkey producing 1M masks every week amid pandemic

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey is producing one million protectives masks, 5,000 medical overalls and 5,000 liters of alcohol-based disinfectants every week, the country's defense minister said.

Hulusi Akar held a teleconference on Friday with commanders-in-chief of armed forces to discuss preventive measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

"We have mobilized all fronts of the ministry to win the fight led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” said Akar.

He added that 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, the nations 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 U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections surpassing 1.1 million with nearly 59,000 deaths. An excess of 226,000 have recovered.

*Writing by Davut Demircan