Turkey makes use of masks mandatory in Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa

Turkey has made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public in three more provinces as part of measures to curb spread of the virus. 

In separate statements, the Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa Governorships made the announcements.

With these new measures, wearing masks has become mandatory in 45 provinces.

The pandemic has claimed more than 445,700 lives in 188 countries and regions since originating in Wuhan, China last December. The US, Brazil and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.

Over 8.26 million cases have been reported worldwide, while more than 4 million people have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.