Turkey has 2,069 new cases of COVID-19 binging the total to 5,698 the Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced last night following a meeting of the Science Council. The death toll now stands at 92.
The government is not disclosing the location of cases to prevent the risk of increasing transmission rates by encouraging people to move from areas with high rates to places where there are no or few cases, Koca added.
He said 42 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the deadly virus as 344 others were treated at intense care units.
Koca added 7,533 tests have been done in the past 24 hours and the number of overall tests carried so far stood at over 47,000.
Speaking at a news conference after the meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced several new measures to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
– All international flights have been suspended for an indefinite period.
– Traveling between cities will now only be possible with the permission of local governors.
– All 30 big cities in Turkey will form pandemic councils to take extra measures against the coronavirus. Local governors will be the chairs of the councils.
– Picnic spots, forests, and archeological sites will be closed on weekends. No groups will be allowed in those areas on weekdays
The President stressed that citizens should abide by voluntary quarantine rules if they want to avoid stricter measures.
The next two weeks will be do or die for Turkey as experts warn that the country will enter a critical stage regarding the COVID-19 outbreak in which deaths and cases could peak if measures aren’t followed
Speaking to Sabah newspaper, associate professor Ümit Savaşçı, a prominent infectious diseases expert, said based on the course of the virus’ spread in Europe, cases will peak in the next two weeks in Turkey.
“We could see a spike in cases, doubling or more. There might be an increase especially in cases in big cities,” he warned.
READ: 2,069 new cases confirmed in Turkey, death toll hits 92
A message from Fethiye Municipality
Questions and Answers on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Please read this article carefully to make sure you know how this Q&A will work. Thank you…
Questions and Answers on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Fethiye Municipality band gives a morale boosting concert to house bound citizens in Fethiye
Fethiye Mayor, Alim Karaca arranged for the Fethiye Municipality band to give a morale boosting concert around the streets for citizens under curfew and staying at home due to the corona virus outbreak. Members of the band swapped their usual uniform for hygiene-protected overalls and masks. The performance was accompanied by cheers and dancing from the windows and balconies.
Source: Fethiye Municipality
Local markets to deliver to people at home
Local markets have started a delivery service for citizens staying home due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Citizens can call their local market (see list of participating markets below) and order their shopping to be delivered.
Markets that want to be added to the list are asked to contact the municipality.
Global Death Toll
The global death toll has surpassed 28,800, with 622,548 cases confirmed, according to Worldometer
Follow Fethiye Times on social media for regular updates.
Today’s featured image: “Empty Bench at Köyceğiz” by Lyn Ward
