Thu 19 March 2020:
Turkey has sent 500,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States, the country’s health minister said Thursday.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca made the remarks in Turkey’s parliament, Reuters reported, adding that Ankara wanted to “rapidly” ramp up its own testing within the country.
Turkey has carried out more than 10,000 tests, Koca said.
Meanwhile, coronavirus cases have surged past 9,400 in the US with 150 deaths.
Deborah Birx, the coronavirus taskforce administrator, warned of a dramatic increase in cases as testing ramps up in the coming days, and forecast that the number of cases will exceed Italy’s.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a $100 billion emergency aid package that ensures sick leave to American workers who fall ill from the virus, free coronavirus testing, paid family leave and a bolstering of unemployment insurance.
Lawmakers are now negotiating over another measure – possibly among the largest federal emergency plans ever – that reportedly would include up to $500 billion in direct payments to Americans, $300 billion in loans to small businesses and another $300 billion in deferred tax payments.
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