Turkey’s coronavirus death toll reaches 574 with 27,069 cases, minister says
Turkey’s death toll from the new coronavirus rose by 73 on Saturday to total 574, and new confirmed cases rose by 3,135 to bring the country’s total to 27,069, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.
He added that 20,065 tests for the COVID-19 disease had been performed in Turkey in the last 24 hours.
On Friday, Turkey imposed a partial curfew on citizens under the age of 20 effective as part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak, President Tayyip Erdogan said.
Turkey also decided to shut down the borders of 31 cities, including Istanbul, for all vehicles, excluding transit passage and essential supplies such as food, medical and sanitary products, to contain the disease, Erdogan said.
“We have decided to bring partial curfew into effect for people under the age of 20 as of midnight Friday,” Erdogan said. “The shutdown of city borders will be in effect for 15 days initially, however this period can be extended if necessary,” Erdogan told a news conference.
Mask usage in crowded public places, in public transport, grocery stores and workplaces will be obligatory, he also said.
[Reuters]
