Turkey confirms first coronavirus case, wins WHO praise for vigilance

A municipality worker wearing protective suit sanitises a coffee shop in Karaagac district against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) near Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey, March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Wednesday, becoming the last major economy to report an outbreak after taking what the World Health Organization (WHO) described as "vigilant, cautious" measures to delay the disease.

Turkey's tourism sector, which accounts for about 13% of its economy, stepped up calls on the government for financial help to deal with the expected negative impact of the outbreak.