Turkey donates thousands of face masks to Austria amid pandemic

Turkey on Wednesday donated 20,000 surgical masks to a healthcare center in Austria to help the country fight the novel coronavirus.

The masks were gifted by the Turkish Embassy in Vienna to the Cardinal Schwarzenberg Hospital in Salzburg.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkish ambassador Ozan Ceyhun said many people of Turkish origin, especially from Turkey's Black Sea Ordu province, live in the region.

Solidarity between the two countries during the pandemic is important, he said, adding that Turkey has contributed well and it could help improve bilateral relations.

The landlocked European country has so far confirmed 20,677 virus cases, including 713 deaths.

On Tuesday, the Austrian government imposed travel restrictions on 32 countries where the virus cases are surging.