Turkey has entered a new phase in the battle against coronavirus in which it aims to eliminate the disease, reopen businesses and set new social behavior guidelines to prevent any resurgence of the outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The government will publish guidance for businesses to ensure coronavirus remains contained when they open next week, Koca told a news conference. It will also increase testing capacity and continue contact tracing efforts.
Turks should wear masks and be mindful of social distance in public, Koca added.
The overall number of cases on Wednesday rose by 2,253 to 131,744, the highest total outside Western Europe, the United States and Russia. A total of 78,202 people have so far recovered from the coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.
The death toll as of Wednesday was 3,584.