Coronavirus: Turkey to become the first country to distribute free masks

Turkey has launched an ambitious programme to distribute free surgical masks into the hands of all the nation's 82 million residents in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Both country's citizens and registered residents will receive free surgical masks per week delivered by the national postal service, reports Independent.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced new rules requiring all those in workplaces or markets to wear masks on March 3.

Later he banned the sale of the masks amid accusations of price-gouging.

A video posted on social media showed that bus drivers handing out free masks to passengers as they boarded.
"We have enough mask stock and production plans for all of our citizens until the outbreak ends,"

Erdogan has been quoted as saying late Monday. "As the state, we are determined to provide free masks to all our citizens."

Turkey yet hasn't imposed a full-fledged lockdown as President Erdogan is adamant to keep factories and businesses open who still can operate.

"Every factory that can work will continue to work," he said on Monday. "Our farmers will not leave their land uncultivated."

Turkey is the world's one of the leading producers of PPE, this decision destroys the lucrative profit for the pharmaceutical companies amid the pandemic.

But Turkey's opposition party has supported this initiative.

Erdogan has also announced the construction of two 1,000-bed hospitals to treat pandemic patients in Istanbul, the city hardest hit by the virus.

Covid-19 has killed at least 725 people in Turkey, a death toll second only to Iran in the Middle East. At least 34,000 people have tested positive for the virus.