Turkey gets its own friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man during coronavirus lockdown

One Turkish man has come up with a creative way to deliver essentials to elderly citizens stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Burak Soylu, a 26-year-old graduate from the southern city of Antalya, dresses up as Spider-Man as he aids residents over-65 who are required to stay at home.

Soylu said he chose to dress as Spider-Man to boost morale while helping out those in need, as well as to encourage those not required to stay at home to abide by social distancing measures.

"I sometimes drive, sometimes climb, I'm very happy that I could help people and draw attention to the call to stay at home," Soylu told state news agency Anadolu.

"Everyone has a superpower called 'goodness', they should use it more often," he said.

"Our hero" Soylu "delivers our vegetables and fruits", one elderly woman said. "It is really motivating on these boring days," she explained.

Soylu has previously taken up the Spider-Man mantle to entertain young children after a devastating earthquake earlier this year. The January quake caused the deaths of 41 people in the eastern province of Elazig.

The Marvel fan has attracted lots of positive feedback on Twitter, including shares of his story from the vice president of Marvel Games and the official account for "Spider-Man: Far From Home".

Spider-Man is not the only superhero to encourage Turkish citizens to stay at home during the pandemic.

Soylu delivers groceries to elderly residents of Antalya [Anadolu]

Earlier this month, "Superman" went out on the streets of Istanbul to warn residents against "unnecessarily" going out.

"We need to warn people as much as we can," local hero Serif Mecit said. "Batman and Spider-Man said let's come to - if we're an example to others, people will know the social distancing rules."

Turkey has reported more than 86,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases to date, including 2,017 deaths. It is the worst-affected country in the Middle East region, according to official data.

Ankara has refused to implement a full nationwide lockdown, instead opting for small-scale quarantine measures and encouraging non-essential workers to stay at home. Residents over-65 and under-20, and those with chronic illnesses, are required to stay at home.

The government earlier this month introduced a weekend curfew in 30 large cities and one province.

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