* Photo: Journalist Mahmut Bozarslan / VOA

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With the easing of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) measures and further normalization steps as of June 1, some parts of Turkey are now witnessing an increase in the number of new cases. One of these places is the district of Cizre in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Şırnak province.

We contacted Şırnak Medical Chamber Chair Dr. Serdar Küni by phone to learn the recent situation in the district.

'Cases have increased after easing of measures'

According to Dr. Küni, the coronavirus period needs to be considered in two phases, namely before June 1 and in the aftermath of June 1:

"With the curfew imposed for the ones aged 65 and over and 20 and younger and other measures, the situation in Cizre region was good until June 1. There were 88 cases on average and 75 of them recovered. The majority of those cases were the soldiers coming from other provinces. There were no patients in intensive care. The number of people who lost their lives was one.

"However, as of the eve of Ramadan feast in late May, measures have been eased in Turkey. That being the case, people started to go shopping for the feast, they flocked to shopping malls, they filled the streets and parks, there were those who went to express condolences.

When measures are no more, abiding by the mask rules and physical distance is also no more. Therefore, we are faced with the current situation.

'Hospitals are full'

"In Şırnak and Cizre region, hospitals are now full. I mean, the hospitals in Şırnak, Silopi, Cizre and İdil districts are full, people are quarantined in dormitories and several people are also in quarantine at their homes as they have tested positive for the virus."

Dr. Serdar Küni says that they made calls to the authorities and people, warning them against the risks of easing of measures and underlining that it will cause problems in the long run:

"We warned people that they should not go out unless absolutely necessary, should not mingle with crowds and should pay attention to cleaning and hygiene, we are still making these warnings.

"We also know something quite clearly: The people of Cizre, in fact, tried to do their best with their own means. Shopkeepers did not open their shops for a week, but the authorities turned a blind eye to this and could not provide true and adequate information to people."

'At least 200 houses are in quarantine'

Dr. Küri notes that they cannot obtain any data about the pandemic from neither the Provincial Pandemic Board nor the Directorate of Health or Governor's Office. "We do not have the recent data," he says and adds:

"We definitely say that a two-week quarantine needs to be imposed urgently in provinces and districts where the virus is spreading rapidly, like Cizre, and a very widespread testing needs to be done. It is not possible to suppress the virus without taking any measures.

"Radical measures need to be taken immediately. We do not have information about the recent data, but we know this: At least 200 houses are in quarantine in Cizre and public hospitals are full.

"An adequate number of tests are not conducted in Cizre and the results are received too late. The ones who are in contact are supposed to be tested, too. The places that are placed in a quarantine are not inspected and, therefore, virus keeps spreading rapidly."

Calling on the authorities, Dr. Küri concludes his remarks as follows: "The authorities should give accurate information to the people. Because people are worried. They have witnessed that there is an increase in the fatalities of those aged 65 and over, they have seen funerals with people in white clothes, they have witnessed that no ceremonies can be held for expressing condolences. Everyone refrains from one another. We, as the medical chamber, request that the authorities announce the recent data."

To raise concerns over the current situation in Cizre, people are tweeting under the hashtag #Cizreyebak or "Look at Cizre." They try to make their voices heard by the authorities, especially by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

Cizre’den gelen vaka sayılarının artış haberleri çok üzücü. Bir an önce gerekli karantina önlemlerinin alınması gerek. Bir bölgedeki artış tüm ülkeye sirayet edebilir. #cizreyebak pic.twitter.com/9bMg5533qM

— Caghan Kizil (@CaKizil) June 23, 2020

"The news about increasing number of cases in Cizre is very sad. The necessary quarantine measures need to be taken as soon as possible. An increase in a region can spread to the whole country."

Virüs sadece bir yeri, bir zümreyi bir şehri seçmez. Devlet bir şehri ölüme mahkum edemez!
Cizredekiler sağlıklı olmazsa İstanbul, İzmir ya da Ankaradakiler de sağlıklı kalamayacak. #cizreyebak #CizreyeSesVer

— Leyla Alp (@leylaalp) June 24, 2020

"A virus does not pick a place or group. The state cannot condemn a city to death! If people of Cizre are not in good health, those in İstanbul, İzmir or Ankara will not be able to remain healthy, either." (SO/SD)