Turkey to distribute masks to students

ISTANBUL

Mask will be distributed when schools in Turkey are reopened as planned, the national education minister said Wednesday.

“We created an epidemic board in every school for daily cleaning of school buses. This board will check the cleaning of the school and transportations,” Ziya Selcuk said in an interview with CNN Turk.

Selcuk said the ministry will give washable masks to student free of charge.

“We will not give only once in a year; we will distribute when the times comes. We have no mask problem. We expect students wear mask everywhere,” he said.

He also said distance education will continue even if schools are opened.

The National Education Ministry announced schools will reopen Aug. 31 for the new academic year.

Turkey reported 902 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the tally to 222,402.

Since it originated in China last December, more than 15 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries topping 8.5 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The global death toll currently stands at nearly 620,000.