Turkey's role as a leading humanitarian actor on the world stage has once more prevailed. The country, meanwhile, continues to set an example of national solidarity with a fundraising campaign consistently gaining momentum. The country is embattled with an outbreak, with new cases announced every day, while authorities call for compliance with social distancing measures.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday the country may stop the virus from spreading faster by keeping social activities to a minimum and adhering to social distancing. "I ask our nation to not leave home as long as possible until these difficult days are over," he said, in a speech before a videoconference with provincial chairs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

"We have to comply with measures advised by scientists and imposed by the government. If each citizen keeps himself or herself in voluntary quarantine, we will not need further measures," Erdoğan said, implying there won't be a full lockdown like in other countries. "If people do not comply with advice to stay home, do not adhere to social distancing or do not care about cleaning and if the outbreak spreads, stricter measures will be inevitable," he warned. Erdoğan pointed out restrictions on intercity travel by bus and said there may be similar restrictions for innercity travel if the need arises.

He also called on all members of the AK Party to join the "We are Self-Sufficient" campaign he had announced earlier.

A Turkish military cargo plane loaded with medical equipment arrived in Spain on Wednesday. The plane, which will deliver the aid first to Spain, will stop in Italy to provide assistance on its return.

The plane took off from Etimesgut military airport in the capital Ankara carrying crates full of masks, hazmat suits, goggles and disinfectants. All equipment on board has been produced at military-owned factories and at sewing workshops that produce military uniforms and other clothing for the army. The crates containing the supplies carry messages reading: "With love to the people of Spain and Italy, from Turkey" and the words of the 13th-century Sufi mystic Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi: "There is hope after despair and many suns after darkness."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised Turkey's efforts, tweeting that it was "NATO solidarity in action." "Proud to see NATO allies supporting each other through our disaster relief center," Stoltenberg tweeted with the hashtag #StrongerTogether.

"Turkey stands together with its allies in times of crisis and hardship. We hope our allies do the same," Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın tweeted in response to Stoltenberg.

"We are in the middle of a turning point in history, living through a paradigm shift moment. This ordeal will either bring us closer to one another or turn us into further strangers in an increasingly uncertain and fragile world. The choice is ours," Kalın also tweeted.

The Italian delegation in NATO also took to Twitter to thank Turkey. "Following Italy's activation of NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center, today, our ally Turkey is set to deliver critical medical equipment to Italy. Deeply grateful to our Turkish friends for their solidarity!" said the delegation.

The Spanish delegation to NATO also expressed gratefulness to Turkey via their official Twitter account. "After Spain's request to NATO's EADRCC, a new supply to fight COVID-19 arrives from our ally Turkey," it said, referring to the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC).

Erdoğan announced the aid Monday and said the country had already sent a shipload of medical supplies via the Turkish Red Crescent to Italy. "The stronger Turkey gets, the longer it can extend its helping hand to its allies," he said. Turkey first sent medical equipment to China, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, in February, when it sent a military cargo plane to evacuate its citizens in China's Wuhan. When Turkey's eastern neighbor Iran started reporting a barrage of coronavirus cases, the country donated 1,000 test kits.

The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 30,000 people in Europe, with more than three-quarters of the deaths registered in Italy and Spain, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally Wednesday citing official figures. The most deaths were recorded in Italy, with 12,428 fatalities, followed by Spain with 8,189 and France with 3,523. Turkey has so far recorded 214 deaths and 13,531 cases.

Nation united for aid

Meanwhile, a fundraising campaign launched by the presidency to help those affected by the coronavirus outbreak substantially grew in two days. After Erdoğan announced the launch on Monday, people from all walks of life across the country rushed to contribute. At least TL 240 million ($35.95 million) was donated to the campaign, which began with Erdoğan himself donating his salary for the equivalent of seven months. Top public lenders Ziraat and Vakıfbank announced a donation of more than TL 11 million on Tuesday and Wednesday, while major telecom provider Türk Telekom contributed TL 40 million. Supreme Court President Mehmet Akarca also announced Wednesday that he had asked every judge and prosecutor to donate at least TL 1,000 for the campaign. Stock exchange Borsa İstanbul announced a contribution of TL 5 million.

Muzaffer Gülşen, 94, has already made a sacrifice for her country. Gülşen is the famed mother of two men and mother-in-law of another who lost their lives while trying to block an attack by putschists during the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Nevertheless, she also insisted on donating to the campaign. The elderly woman, who cannot leave home due to a curfew imposed on senior citizens vulnerable to the outbreak, called officials to her home and gave them her debit card, telling them to withdraw her pension payment for the month to donate to the campaign.

Children across the country have also fiercely supported the campaign. Esin Afra Karaca, 9, emptied her piggy bank and offered TL 60 she had saved to her father, telling him to donate it. "I saw the president speaking about the campaign and decided to join. I gave the money to my father, and he was very happy. Everyone should be doing something for the country," Karaca told Anadolu Agency (AA) Wednesday.

Meanwhile, third-grader Öykü Ada Doğan of Istanbul had been collecting money to buy a piano, but she shelved her plans to contribute to the campaign. Doğan, an ardent lover of all things musical, is attending piano classes and has been dreaming of buying a piano, having begun saving six months ago. "When I heard the campaign and heard that people were having problems due to lack of work, I wanted to help out," Doğan, who donated TL 875 to the campaign, told AA. "I'm happier to help people. It is more important (than having a piano)," she said.

More support to citizens

"With the help of our imams, police officers, gendarmerie, teachers and every type of civil servant, we were able to visit the homes of 725,000 elderly people and met whatever needs they had," Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said in a televised interview late Tuesday.

Soylu was referring to the Vefa social support groups formed across the country's 81 provinces, which are tasked with reaching out to the elderly, delivering them aid or helping with household chores.

The government has already started a scheme offering an additional payment of TL 1,000 for the needy families, while public lenders are providing a loan of TL 10,000 with repayments delayed for six months. Pensions have also been delivered in advance to millions.

Some 2 million households will also benefit from a boost of TL 1,000 in support launched Wednesday.

Quarantine ends for some

Turkey has also started discharging people from their quarantine spaces. After completing their 14-day period of isolation, those who tested negative were allowed to leave their dormitories of residence, while those testing positive have been since hospitalized. Turkey has arranged flights to evacuate thousands from abroad, while those returning by their own means have been placed under quarantine. At least 11,000 people have been quarantined since early March.

In northwestern Turkey's Kocaeli, those who arrived from Germany and other European countries last month were released from dormitories on Wednesday. Ali Kemal Zengin, who was placed in quarantine after arriving from Germany, spoke about his days in quarantine after leaving the dormitory. "I made new friends here, and the state took good care of everyone. We enjoyed good meals and were treated well. I heard some rumors on social media that conditions were bad. It is all lies. It was a really good place, and I am grateful to the state," he told AA.