Turkey experienced record number of deaths due to COVID-19 for a seventh day in a row on Sunday, November 29, 2020, even as the President Tayyip Erdogan attempted to “contain a second wave of infections”.
However, the Turkish economy is expected to bounce back from the slump induced by COVID-19 in the earlier part of the year, which marks the “key to Erdogan’s sustained political support”, which with the new development has come under threat. The Turkish government tightened up situation whereby introducing night curfews in the weekend to restrict movements of people, besides starting “online schooling and limiting restaurants and cafes to takeaway services”.
Nevertheless, these measures did not provide promising results as “cases and fatalities” continue to rise by brining the death toll to “185”, marking “45% above the peak of the first wave in April”. According to Reuters reports:
“More than 29,000 cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Saturday’s figure of 30,103 was the highest recorded, but authorities have only been including asymptomatic cases - as most other countries have regularly done - since Wednesday”.
The opposition as well as the doctors have urged for “stricter measures” while the government seemed worried about further economic dents as it expects cooperation from people as a personal duty. In a tweet, the Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca said:
“Our health army is under a heavy burden. Each of us is responsible for following the measures.”
President Erdogan also reminded:
“Masks and (social) distance are very important, hygiene is very important. As long as these are not heeded, especially in big cities, the increasing continuation of (the virus) becomes inevitable”.
While, the leader of the “opposition IYI Party”, Meral Aksener stated:
“The lives lost are our lives. But we see that the government is still trying to manage the situation with band-aid measures”.
“I am calling out to Mr Erdogan from here once again - come, impose a quarantine of at least 14 days.”
Likewise, a chest surgeon specialist from a hospital in Istanbul, Celallettin Koruturk said:
“Based on current data, we look to be at the top of the worldwide list of cases per population. We need to act very dynamically without waiting further.”
References:
reuters.com
However, the Turkish economy is expected to bounce back from the slump induced by COVID-19 in the earlier part of the year, which marks the “key to Erdogan’s sustained political support”, which with the new development has come under threat. The Turkish government tightened up situation whereby introducing night curfews in the weekend to restrict movements of people, besides starting “online schooling and limiting restaurants and cafes to takeaway services”.
Nevertheless, these measures did not provide promising results as “cases and fatalities” continue to rise by brining the death toll to “185”, marking “45% above the peak of the first wave in April”. According to Reuters reports:
“More than 29,000 cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Saturday’s figure of 30,103 was the highest recorded, but authorities have only been including asymptomatic cases - as most other countries have regularly done - since Wednesday”.
The opposition as well as the doctors have urged for “stricter measures” while the government seemed worried about further economic dents as it expects cooperation from people as a personal duty. In a tweet, the Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca said:
“Our health army is under a heavy burden. Each of us is responsible for following the measures.”
President Erdogan also reminded:
“Masks and (social) distance are very important, hygiene is very important. As long as these are not heeded, especially in big cities, the increasing continuation of (the virus) becomes inevitable”.
While, the leader of the “opposition IYI Party”, Meral Aksener stated:
“The lives lost are our lives. But we see that the government is still trying to manage the situation with band-aid measures”.
“I am calling out to Mr Erdogan from here once again - come, impose a quarantine of at least 14 days.”
Likewise, a chest surgeon specialist from a hospital in Istanbul, Celallettin Koruturk said:
“Based on current data, we look to be at the top of the worldwide list of cases per population. We need to act very dynamically without waiting further.”
References:
reuters.com
