UK wants to work with Turkey to meet demand for medical equipment: Ambassador

The coronavirus pandemic has created a huge demand in countries for certain sorts of medical equipment and much of this is manufactured in Turkey, British Ambassador to Ankara Dominick Chilcott has told Hürriyet Daily News, expressing his country's will to further cooperate with Turkey to meet the demand in the two countries.

The Prince of Wales, our Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who have tested positive for the virus, all are doing well, he added.

When was the first case detected in your country? What is the current situation?

The first confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.K. were recorded on Jan. 31, although the first fatality from the virus was not until March 5. As most countries around the world have experienced, we saw the number of cases begin to rise exponentially; hence the strong measures adopted in order to slow the spread of the virus. Figures are changing every day, but currently, more than 2,000 patients who tested positive for coronavirus in the U.K. have sadly died.

As you would have seen in the news, even HRH the Prince of Wales, our Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, have tested positive for the virus, although fortunately all are doing well. This shows that no one is immune and that to protect lives we all have to obey the rules and avoid social interaction as much as possible.

What are the measures your government has taken so far? What is the main approach your government has adopted?

From the beginning, our government treated the threat of the coronavirus seriously and took action based on science and evidence. As early as Feb. 10, the government took on stronger legal powers to protect...