Turkey: Ruling party touts fight against COVID-19

ANKARA

Turkey’s ruling party on Friday touted the country’s measures to fight the novel coronavirus, a pandemic which has taken the lives of thousands worldwide.

“Turkey is strongly fighting the epidemic,” Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party, told reporters after a Central Executive Board meeting done by videoconferencing.

“While struggling with such a big disaster, there is nothing more valuable than the lives of our citizens,” he added.

Celik said Turkey was better prepared than other counties to combat the virus thanks to several innovations in the country’s healthcare sector.

So far, Turkey has registered over 18,000 coronavirus cases and the death toll stands at 356. On the bright side, 415 people have fully recovered following treatment.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China in December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 181 countries and regions.

Data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections surging past 1 million, with more than 55,000 deaths. Over 219,000 people have recovered.

*Writing by Handan Kazanci