Coronavirus in Turkey: Acts of kindness and solidarity surge in the country

Self-isolating, social distancing, reducing visits to grocery stores and chemist shops to the bare minimum, Turkish society is showing a remarkable degree of restraint to help its government combat the deadly coronavirus disease. 

And to show their appreciation for the country's health workers, millions of Turks from across the country joined the call of the Minister of Health Dr Fahrettin Koca to applaud health workers fighting the coronavirus from their balconies and windows on Wednesday evening. 

Koca later shared some videos on Twitter, depicting how people from Istanbul to Van to Konya,  clapped in unison from their balconies and windows. 

#EvdeKal (#StayatHome) hashtag

#EvdeKal (#StayatHome) hashtag has been trending on Turkish Twitter. It is aimed at raising public awareness about the pandemic. Many famous artists, singers, football clubs, major public and private institutions have tweeted in solidarity under the hashtag. 

Fenerbahce, one of Turkey’s top football clubs, added #EvdeKal to its name on its official Twitter accounts. Galatasaray, Besiktas, Trabzonspor and many others joined the campaign to encourage people to stay indoors. 

Haluk Bilginer, Emmy Award-winning actor for the Best Performance, offered free Spotify and Netflix subscriptions to some people via #evdekal hashtag.

Health workers also shared their message from different parts of the country. “We stay here (at work) for you, and you stay at home for your health,” one health worker tweeted. 

The Eczacibasi Vitra Volleyball team also joined the campaign and announced it would be conducting public awareness campaigns. 

Yalin, a popular Turkish singer, performed a live concert from his Instagram account. He urged people to stay indoors. 

The coronavirus has triggered a global health emergency. After China, where the disease originated and affected thousands of people, it is Italy, Iran, France, the US and Ukraine where the positive cases are growing swiftly, putting a major strain on healthcare infrastructure. 

Turkey was quick to respond to the crisis. It suspended flights to 20 countries, closed schools, cafes and bars, banned mass prayers and postponed sports competitions soon after the first signs of the virus were detected in the country.