Turkey: Prisoners sew 3 million medical masks amid outbreak

KAYSERI, Turkey

Turkish prisoners have sewn 3 million single-use masks since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The prisoners in the central province of Kayseri are working on 40 sewing machines bought for the purpose, said jail authorities in a statement.

Since March, they have also been sewing overalls.

Every day 120 prisoners produce 45,000 masks. So far, 3,000 overalls have been produced.

The products were sent to Kayseri City Hospital, public hospitals, courthouses, penal institutions and other institutions that request it.

Turkey has reported 179,831 coronavirus cases, while 4,825 people have died so far.

Since originating in China last December, the pandemic has claimed over 437,600 lives in 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil and Russia are currently the world’s worst-hit countries.

More than 8.07 million cases have been reported worldwide, while over 3.9 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.