Racks at a mosque that are usually reserved for the shoes of people entering the mosque are instead filled with food and groceries for the poor who have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, April 21.
Turkey suspended mass prayers in mosques until the risk of COVID-19 outbreak passes.
On Monday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that an extended four-day lockdown would be imposed in 31 cities beginning Thursday, the first day of Ramadan, as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Total cases rose to 95,591 on Wednesday, the highest number of cases outside the U.S. and Europe.
Erdogan said Turkey aimed to bring the outbreak to a level that would allow for a normalization of life after the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday at the end of May, adding that steps could be taken before that.
Other countries have taken measures amid the coronavirus pandemic ahead of the Ramadan holiday, notably suspending mass prayer and prohibiting mass exodus of travel to celebrate the holy month.
(Reuters/VOA)
