Turkey to send medical gear to US

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will send medical gear including protective suits and masks to the United States on Tuesday to help its efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

“At a time when even developed countries are asking for Turkey’s support, we have offered our support to a wide geography, from the Balkans to Africa,” Erdogan told reporters following a cabinet meeting.

“Most recently, we are sending medical aid to the United States on Tuesday, consisting of surgical masks, N95 masks, hazmat suits and disinfectants,” Erdogan said, adding that the shipment would be delivered via a Turkish military plane.

Turkey's Communications Directorate released the details of the medical aid that will be sent to the US.

"The President ordered has ordered the National Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Health 500,000 surgical masks, 40,000 overalls, 2,000 litres of disinfectants, 1,500 goggles, 400 N95 masks and 500 face shields to the United States."

Three-day curfew

Erdogan also said a three-day lockdown would be imposed in 31 cities as of Friday, May 1, and that weekend lockdowns would continue until after Eid al Fitr in late May. He said a schedule for returning to normal would be announced soon.

"Schools, businesses and sports facilities have contributed greatly [to these measures]. In order to continue this beautiful journey, we intend to continue the weekend curfew limitation until after Eid al Fitr," Erdogan said.

Normalisation program on the works

President Erdogan also addressed the issue of normality returning to the country saying he will make a relevant announcement soon. 

"We are preparing a comprehensive program to bring life back to normal throughout the country. We will announce the program prepared by the vice president soon," Erdogan said.

Aid sent to 57 countries

Turkey has so far delivered aid to at least 57 countries around the globe to help their fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

"We provided medical equipment support to 57 countries," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

After getting aid requests from over 100 nations, Turkey has sent aid, medical supplies, and protective equipment to five continents, including countries badly hit by the virus, such as the UK, Italy, and Spain.

Turkey’s confirmed cases of Covid-19 increased by 2,131 in the past 24 hours, and 95 more people have died, taking the death toll to 2,900, Health Ministry data showed on Monday.