Turkish military establishes coronavirus center to fight outbreak

The Turkish military has established a center to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus outbreak among members, and there have not been any confirmed cases so far, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Tuesday.

"We have not had any incidents so far, and we will complete our duties without one," Hulusi Akar said in a news conference.

The center aims to monitor and manage the measures against the virus in military units and headquarters.

Akar noted that while Turkey is currently fighting the coronavirus, its anti-terror efforts continue without any pause in northern Syria, Idlib de-escalation zone and northern Iraq.

“We have taken all individual and institutional precautions and continue to do so. We have dispatched all equipment, including thermal cameras to the areas and most importantly, we have given the full prerogative to control the entries and exits to the operation area to our Army Commander,” Akar said.

The armed forces are also producing medical masks and sanitizers, Akar said, adding: "We aim to meet the needs of not only the Turkish Armed Forces but all of our people by increasing the production."

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the coronavirus known as COVID-19 has spread to at least 169 countries and regions. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

According to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University, the number of confirmed cases worldwide is over 395,000 and the death toll is now over 17,150, while almost 103,000 have recovered so far.

According to the latest official figures, Turkey has 1,872 confirmed coronavirus cases and the death toll stands at 44 as of March 24.