ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey is “moving away from the target,” the country’s health minister warned Sunday as the daily number of new coronavirus cases rose above 1,500 following the relaxation of restrictions.
People wearing face masks to protect against the new coronavirus, use disinfectant at the entrance of a public garden, in Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, June 14, 2020. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has revealed Tuesday new plans to ease restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including the July 1 reopening of theaters, cinemas and other entertainment centers.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 1,562 new cases were recorded over the previous 24 hours, the highest daily figure since June 3.
Reporting 1,330 recoveries, he said: “Our number of recovered patients fell below the number of new cases. The need for intensive care and respiratory equipment is rising.”
Koca also reported 15 deaths due to coronavirus, taking the total since the first case on March 11 to 4,807. Turkey has recorded a total of 178,239 coronavirus cases.
At the start of June, the government authorized cafes, restaurants, gyms, parks, beaches and museums to reopen and eased stay-at-home orders for the elderly and young.
A weekend curfew that was due to be implemented last week was canceled, ending the series of part-time lockdowns in place since April.
Koca called for people to switch to a period of “controlled social life” from Monday to halt the rise in cases.