ANKARA, Aug 23 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey recorded a surging number of COVID-19 cases in the past few days, including the highest daily cases in over 45 days, prompting authorities to introduce stricter safety controls.
Public negligence of strict COVID-19 measures, including mandatory mask-wearing and self-isolation for positive patients, is largely blamed for the increasing number in new cases.
“Safety measures should be observed without concession. The surge in new cases is the result of negligence of social distancing and mask wearing,” said Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca.
Since the start of Aug, the number of daily cases which dropped to around 700, gradually increased, pushing authorities to postpone the opening of schools to Sep 21 from Aug 31.
Education Minister, Ziya Selcuk, announced, the ministry started to grant certificates that define a series of standards to prevent further spread of the pandemic in schools.
Following the recommendations of health officials, local authorities across the country recently adopted a series of new measures for those over 65 years old, the most significant risk group against the virus.
Elderly in over 20 provinces, including the capital Ankara, are now prevented from using public transportation in rush hours, or entering crowded locations in certain hours of the day.
The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, launched its seventh comprehensive inspections since May, to monitor compliance with the COVID-19 rules.
Inspections have been carried out in markets, workplaces, groceries, bazaars, public transport vehicles, restaurants, taxis, among other places.
“People act like the virus had gone away. Sometimes we have serious arguments with clients, who do not respect social distancing or refuse to wear masks in the shop,” said Ahmet Ercin, owner of a shop.
“We are already facing serious financial problems and we don’t want a new lock-down because of citizens who are not responsible enough to wear a simple mask,” he said.
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on Mar 11 and strict restrictions and partial lock-downs have been imposed nationwide before being mostly lifted on June 1.
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, assured that the outbreak is under control, despite a hike in daily cases, but some doctors are worried that official numbers are not showing the real scope of the health crisis.
“The current situation shows we are on a rising trajectory, and without having brought the first wave under control, the outbreak is starting to get out of control,” the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) said.
“The COVID-19 wards that we closed in June are now reopened with new patients,” Dr. Gule Cinar, a specialist of infectious diseases from an Ankara hospital, said.
“The virus doesn’t think. It infects people who are not cautious enough. Every citizen should abide by safety measures, otherwise there will be more and more infections,” she warned.
Professor Alpay Azap, member of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, warned that, the virus “has begun to spread uncontrollably.”
“There is a daily increase in the number of patients that we are treating in hospitals. We still have places in ICU’s but we are clearly worried as the virus is continuously spreading,” said the doctor.
Koca also indicated that a mobile app detected 95,000 people, who should have been in self-isolation, tried to purchase bus, train or plane tickets, attempting to break quarantine rules.
Last week, the Interior Ministry said, it was establishing “neighbourhood inspection teams” comprised of prominent local figures to monitor people of self-isolation.
The ministry said, these teams would inform authorities if people broke quarantine rules.– NNN-ANADOLU
