ANKARA 

Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo encouraged people to stay at home as part of the global fight against the novel coronavirus.

"Feeling very thankful to have my mum home from hospital and recovering. Look after your families and loved ones. #stayhomesavelives," Ronaldo said on Sunday on Instagram as the Juventus forward shared a family photo.

Following Juventus' 2-0 league win against Inter Milan on March 8, Ronaldo travelled to Portugal's Madeira island to see his mother as Maria Dolores Aveiro suffered from a stroke.

Ronaldo did not return to Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak.

On Saturday, Italy reported 889 new deaths from coronavirus, bringing the total number of victims to 10,023, the highest in the world.

The number of confirmed cases in the country has reached nearly 92,500 and while over 12,300 people have recovered from COVID-19.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows over 679,900 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll almost 31,700 and over 145,600 recoveries.