Covid-19: Turkey's Death Toll Rises to 4,515, Total Tests Exceed Two Million

Photo and source: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Turkey's death death toll in the new coronavirus pandemic has climbed to 4,515 with a total of 163,103 cases, the Health Ministry has announced. Over the past 24 hours, 26 people died and 983 new cases were found.

The total number of novel coronavirus tests in Turkey has exceeded 2 million, while the daily test count has increased by 3,000, according to Turkey's top health authority on Saturday.

The number of patients who recovered from the disease reached almost 127,000 as 1,021 more were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, sharing the latest official coronavirus figures.

In a tweet, Minister Fahrettin Koca reiterated the importance of hand hygiene, wearing masks and keeping social distance.

Travel restrictions have been eased

Meanwhile, Turkey today announced the resumption of domestic flights as the country eases coronavirus restrictions and looks to restore normalcy.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said domestic flights would resume on June 1 as part of the normalization process after the months-long virus restrictions, adding that the first flights would be from Istanbul to major cities of Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Trabzon provinces, while flights to other cities would resume gradually.

On Saturday, the Turkish Interior Ministry also ordered local officials to allow restaurants, cafes, patisseries, coffee shops and similar venues to open daily until 10.00 p.m. local time, as of June 1. Parks, gardens, picnic and recreational areas, hiking and fishing, as well as beaches, swimming pools and hot springs will also resume services effective Monday.

The ministry also said that travel permits would no longer be required for intercity public transportation vehicles, noting that entry and exit restrictions in the country's 15 provinces would also be lifted as of midnight May 31.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The US, Brazil, Russia, and several European countries are currently the hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed over 366,800 people worldwide, with more than 5.99 million confirmed cases, while recoveries surpassed 2.53 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

Daily deaths, cases and tests reported by the Health Ministry:

(DB/VK)