ANKARA
Here is Anadolu Agency’s rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.
As the novel coronavirus continues spreading rapidly worldwide, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally is now nearly 1.7 million, while over 102,000 people have died and more than 376,600 recovered.
On Friday, Turkey imposed a 48-hour curfew in 31 provinces beginning at midnight as part of measures to curb the spread of the virus, the Interior Ministry announced.
Consumers rushed into supermarkets and bakeries hours before the curfew began in panic buying.
Bread will be delivered to Turkish residents as provinces across the country are now under a curfew because of the coronavirus, the Interior Ministry said early Saturday.
Turkey Friday confirmed 98 more deaths from the virus, bringing the death toll to 1,006 and the total number of cases to 47,029.
In the U.S., the number of infected people by the COVID-19 virus surged to more than half a million, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University on Saturday.
The university in the state of Maryland counted almost 501,500 cases and nearly 18,800 deaths. There have been more than 29,000 patients who have recovered.
Pope presides over Good Friday ceremony
One of the world's worst-hit countries by the epidemic, Italy confirmed more deaths on Friday with the death toll hitting 18,849.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the extension of the almost-total lockdown imposed nationwide until May 3.
Pope Francis presided over a traditional ceremony at a near-empty Saint Peter’s Square on Good Friday as Italy struggles to get a hand on the pandemic, local media reported Friday.
The ceremony, normally held at the Colosseum, was moved to a deserted Saint Peter’s Square because the virus killed 570 additional patients in the last 24 hours.
As for other European heavyweights, the death toll in Spain rose to 16,081, while it hit 13,197 in France, and 2,767 in Germany.
In Russia, a system of lockdown passes will be imposed in Moscow and its region beginning April 13 in an attempt to stem the virus’ spread.
The move was taken following mass disregard for self-isolation that led to a surge in coronavirus cases in the Russian capital and surrounding region this week, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin wrote on his official website.
The World Health Organization chief praised Turkey for showing an “exemplary” solidarity with the coronavirus-hit countries, while his top aide said the country has a "huge history" of large-scale disaster management and of offering support to other countries.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remarks at a video news conference in response to a question on Turkey’s dispatching of essential supplies to European countries and others amid the coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday, a Turkish military cargo plane carrying medical supplies to assist the U.K.’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic landed in London.
Separately, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) sent aid packages to North Macedonia, Lebanon and Tunisia amid outbreak.
Other developments
Here is some good news amid the dire reports of the pandemic. Former Turkish international goalkeeper Rustu Recber who tested positive for the coronavirus about two weeks ago has completely recovered.
"Rustu has tested negative for the coronavirus, fortunately," his wife Isil Recber said on social media on Friday.
Meanwhile, a Turkish expert said that patients administered blood plasma from donors who overcame the virus have partially begun to recover.
Patients who recover from COVID-19 can help others do the same once they test negative for the virus by donating their plasma and antibodies for patients in critical condition.
And baking bread became the latest “epidemic” among Turks now.
Heeding public health directives to stay at home, now many Turks have returned to an age-old tradition of making homemade bread, leading to unexpected climbs in demand for both yeast and flour.
