Turkey working tirelessly to keep virus at bay: Erdogan

ANKARA

Turkey is working "day and night" to minimize the effects of the coronavirus in the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Friday.

"We are running a relentless fight against the coronavirus,” he said. “This virus mostly affects the elderly and those with chronic diseases," Erdogan said on Twitter, where he also posted a voice message addressed to the nation.

He asked the nation to take steps to protect against the virus but also to be mindful of elderly relatives or those who have chronic diseases.

"You should increase the social distance as much as possible, and most importantly, you should never go out of the house unless you have to. In this process, you should carefully follow the statements of our official institutions and organizations, especially our Health Ministry," he said, and stressed hygienic measures.

The use of internet technology and telecommunication should be applied when communicating with relatives and other activities, he said.

He also asked that prayers be performed at home and not to accept visitors as much as possible -- spending time at homes is more important.

"On behalf of myself and my nation, I would like to express my gratitude to all my citizens who stand by us and act with a sense of responsibility in this struggle with the coronavirus. I hope we will come through these hard days together, God willing."

The voice message is being sent to citizens, especially those older than 50, by calling mobile phones through three telecommunication operators in Turkey.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said late Friday the number of virus cases reached 670, with nine deaths.

The virus known as COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 164 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of more than 258,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 11,000, and more than 87,000 have recovered, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.