Turkish Red Crescent feeds thousands in quarantine

By Muhammet Ali Toruntay and Murat Paksoy
ISTANBUL, ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Red Crescent is serving regular meals to nearly 20,000 people in quarantine as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus, the aid agency said on Monday.
One of the largest humanitarian organizations in the country, the Turkish Red Crescent, also known as Kizilay, said in a statement that they provided 19,993 people with three meals a day.
The aid agency distributed over 627,481 meals to people who were evacuated and placed in quarantine at 63 spots in 42 provinces.
The organization mobilized 8,111 volunteers to man the massive operation, the statement quoted Kerem Kinik, head of Turkish Red Crescent, as saying.

Kinik added that they would continue their aid efforts on the ground until life in the country returns to normal.

Turkey has 9,217 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the death toll stands at 131.
The novel coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China in December.There are currently more than 735,000 cases worldwide and nearly 35,000 reported deaths with over 156,000 recoveries, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.


*Writing by Gozde Bayar