Report on İstanbul Amid Covid-19 Pandemic: Solution Lies in Shared Wisdom

* Photo: Emrah Yılmaz / Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The Social Rights Association (SHD) İstanbul Branch has released a report on İstanbul amid novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The report has underlined the need for a multidimensional "exit plan from the pandemic" that would focus on citizens making a living with their labor and where all elements of the society can participate.

'Small business owners left alone with their problems'

The report of the Association has also listed the mismanagements as well as definciences and inequalities in public services, which have led to an increase in the death toll and number of cases in the city:

"While we were surrounded by Covid-19 outbreak, the government was late in introducing quarantine measures for the ones coming to Turkey from abroad until the first case was officially announced. It caused the ones who returned from Umrah to spread the disease all around the country.

"Out of economic concerns, no measures have been taken to 'halt all production unless absolutely necessary', which has caused the outbreak to quickly spread in workplaces and factories. While the insufficiency of preemptive economic measures has led to an increase in unemployment, small business owners have been left alone with their problems.

'Citizens have been aggrieved'

"One of the mismanagement elements that has aggravated the pandemic is the curfew and lack of planning in the distribution of aid.

"Despite their selfless efforts, the problems of healthcare laborers with personal protective measures cannot be solved. It has been understood that private health system, which is, most of the time, oriented to make profits, might fall short during the pandemic.

"The failure to inform the public about cases and deaths transparently has led to setbacks in planning the struggle against the outbreak.

"While citizens are facing difficulties amid outbreak, a quarrel has erupted between the central government and local administration. Citizens have been aggrieved by the failure to draft a complete program for struggle.

"It is seen that infrastructure of distance education is insufficient and, in the broadcasts made under the authority of Ministry of National Education, ideological prejudices are attempted to be imposed on children."

'An exit plan from the pandemic is necessary'

In conclusion to its report, the Association has emphasized that if normalization steps are not taken without any central planning, cooperation and shared wisdom, it will aggravate the problems of pandemic.

Underlining that the outbreak will lead to more fatal consequences for İstanbul due to its dense population and will, thereby, cause a crisis in both social and economic spheres, the report has emphasized the need for a multidimensional "exit plan from the pandemic process" that will normalize the lives of citizens, heal the social and economic wounds and enable the participation of all elements of the society. (EMK/SD)