ISTANBUL — Turkey has ordered all citizens to wear masks when shopping or visiting crowded public places and announced that it will deliver masks to every family, free of charge, as coronavirus infections increase in the country of 80 million.

The order is the latest in a gradual tightening of antivirus measures by a government that has insisted that the virus was under control and has resisted a complete lockdown.

Turkey has over 34,000 confirmed cases of the virus and has registered 725 deaths. More than 1,400 patients are in intensive care units and at least 600 medical workers have been infected, according to figures released Tuesday by the Health Ministry.

The number of confirmed cases places Turkey among the top 10 currently worst affected countries, and reflects a steep rise since its first confirmed death from the disease on March 17.