ISTANBUL, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The authorities of Turkey's biggest city Istanbul on Wednesday delivered food and other supplies to the needy elderly who cannot go out over the COVID-19 concerns.

Officials presented aid packages to around 3,500 households in the Beykoz district, Ali Kaya, a local photojournalist, told Xinhua.

"Elderly people are told not to leave their homes due to the outbreak of the virus," he noted. "As a result, meeting their basic needs has become a real issue for them."

The packages contain a wide range of materials, including dry legumes, breakfast supplies as well as cleaning materials.

Omer Kosem, a 91-year-old resident, received his packet at his home located on the upper hills of the district, an area which was hard to reach, the journalist said.

Kosem told the reporters that the materials in the aid package would be sufficient for him for a month.

"I can not leave home. I will not go out until the risk will be totally over," he said.

Meanwhile, Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, announced that the municipality has taken additional precautions in a total of 462 open-air district bazaars across the city.

"Salesmen in bazaars are now obliged to wear masks and gloves," Imamoglu said, noting the disinfection works would continuously be carried out in these locations.

The district bazaars, which are significantly popular among Istanbulites, meet the 80 percent of the household demands in the city, according to the mayor. Enditem

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