İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu: My concern is transparent management of pandemic

* Photo: AA - Archive

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Over the past few days, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) has been announcing the number of people who died of "infectious disease" in the city based on the data of its Cemeteries Department.

According to the latest figures shared by the İMM, 211 people lost their lives due to "infectious disease" yesterday (November 24), when the Ministry of Health announced the daily death toll for Turkey as 161.

Similarly, "201 people died of infectious disease in İstanbul today," said the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality on November 23, when the official daily death toll announced by the Ministry was 153 for the entire Turkey.

In addition to these statements, İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has also been voicing these figures in his speeches on different occasions, asking once, "What should I do? Should I stay silent?"

After he was criticized by Devlet Bahçeli, the Chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), over these remarks, İmamoğlu has responded to what Bahçeli said about him. Speaking to İsmail Saymaz from daily Sözcü, he has said that he wants citizens to be rightly informed and to ensure that right measures are taken against the pandemic.

"I respect party chairs, I do not enter into arguments with them," he has said, reiterating that "what he wants is to ensure that citizens are rightly informed and right measures are taken against the disease."

İmamoğlu has underlined that "his concern is the transparent management of the process." "Party chairs called me to learn the true numbers and I informed them transparently," İmamoğlu has said, expressing his hope that "Mr. Bahçeli will also call him." "When necessary, I do not refrain from calling, either; I will share the process," he has added.

What did Bahçeli say?

At his Parliamentary group meeting yesterday, MHP Chair Bahçeli said that "İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor was making statements contradicting the Health Ministry over the deaths caused by infectious disease."

Indicating that "there was nothing to esteem in his statements," Bahçeli accused İmamoğlu of "seeking after political interests and causing distrust between the state and citizens in such a period."

"While our Health Minister is working hard day and night, what is the purpose of this impertinent person who talks about everything other than municipal affairs and expresses opinion about everything," Bahçeli asked.

Targeting the Republican People's Party (CHP), which nominated İmaoğlu as the mayor candidate, MHP leader Bahçeli also asked, "Is the CHP mindset content with the infection rate of the virus? Is it expecting that the strong health infrastructure of our country will soon collapse?"

'Only symptomatic cases are counted'

On the other side, in his press conference on September 30, 2020, Health Minister Koca previously indicated that they did not add everyone who tested positive for COVID-19 to the number of daily patients and they considered only the ones who showed the symptoms as "patients."

CLICK - Turkey admits not disclosing number of all Covid-19 cases

Until July 29, 2020, the expression of "number of daily cases" was used on the Health Ministry's COVID-19 table. It has then been understood that after this day, it has been changed into "number of daily patients." (EKN/SD)