There has been a 4.7 percent increase in the number of daily coronavirus deaths in Turkey since March 1 when coronavirus measures were eased, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) warned in a statement on Sunday, urging the government to declare a full lockdown to stop the deaths.
The TTB shared a graphic of coronavirus deaths in Turkey between March 1 and April 18 on Twitter on Sunday.
“Daily [coronavirus] deaths have increased by 4.7 percent since March 1, rising from 69 to 318 a day. It is possible to reverse this picture. Close down workplaces [factories] and provide financial support to those affected, stop the wheels [of the economy] other than necessary production and let the deaths end,” tweeted the TTB.
Resmi rakamlarla dahi 1 Mart'tan bugüne ölümler 4,7 kat artıp 69'dan 318'e çıktı.
Bu grafiği tersine çevirmek mümkün: Ekonomik destekle toplu çalışma (fabrika, atölye vb.) ve iş alanlarını (AVM, vb.) kapatın, zorunlu üretim dışında çarkları durdurun, ölümler dursun. pic.twitter.com/QhS20cvrc6
— Türk Tabipleri Birliği (@ttborgtr) April 18, 2021
According to data from the Health Ministry, Turkey registered 55,802 coronavirus cases and 318 deaths over the past 24 hours.
Since the official reporting of the first coronavirus case in Turkey on March 11, 2020, the Turkish government has been criticized for poorly handling the crisis, hiding the real figures from society and failing to take effective measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
In early March Turkey reopened most restaurants for indoor dining and allowed more students to return to school as it rolled back tough coronavirus restrictions in a move that is blamed for the soaring number of the coronavirus cases in the country.
The nation of 84 million has since seen its daily virus infection numbers soar past 50,000 as it battles a third wave that was exacerbated by the rapid spread of the more infectious British variant of the virus.
Last week President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced a tightening of coronavirus restrictions for the holy month of Ramadan that includes earlier evening curfews. Erdoğan also announced the end of in-person dining at restaurants and cafes that were partially reopened when rules were eased in early March.