Turkey: COVID-19 helpline assists senior citizens

ANKARA

A helpline is meeting the daily needs of senior citizens in Turkey who are stuck at home due to a partial curfew announced by the government in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Interior Ministry, more than 144,000 people called the helpline since the curfew was imposed two days ago.

Out of them, the needs of over 121,000 people were met by Vefa social support groups, which delivered food and medicines to their homes.

The helplines are listed as 112, 115 and 156 for Turkey.

Meanwhile, already 23,000 calls were made to receive information about the latest coronavirus casualties and confirmed cases.

Turkey has so far reported 37 fatalities from the novel virus, with 1,529 cases confirmed, according to authorities.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 16,500, while cases have soared to over 383,000, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, a vast majority of those who get infected suffer mild symptoms and recover from the illness. However, the elderly and chronically ill are at high risk.

*Writing by Firdevs Bulut