İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu calls for ‘total lockdown’ again

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Representatives from İstanbul's district municipalities discussed the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in a meeting chaired by İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu yesterday evening (December 9).

While Bağcılar, Başakşehir, Maltepe and Şile districts were represented by their vice mayors and Büyükçekmece by the 1st deputy speaker of its municipal council, the mayors of other districts, expect for those of Pendik and Bahçelievler, attended the meeting held in the Haliç Congress Center.

In the meeting not attended by Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün and Pendik Mayor Ahmet Cin, who are both in treatment for COVID-19, representatives from Bahçelievler were also not present.

Expressing his get-well-soon wishes to both mayors, İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has underlined that İstanbul has been going through a really challenging period due to the pandemic.

34 İMM personnel have died of COVID-19

İmamoğlu has noted that "it is perhaps the mayors who can most closely observe that the hospitals are crowded, patients are in intensive treatment and several patients are getting treatment at their homes."

Sharing information about the state of affairs within the bodies of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) as well, İmamoğlu has announced that 34 İMM personnel have so far died of the virus.

According to İmamoğlu, around 2,000 patients have been diagnosed among the İMM workers while there are around 3 to 4 thousand close contacts, who have suffered job loss as a result of this.

'Lockdown is a must'

İmamoğlu has also shared details about the measures that the İMM has taken since November 15, when the outbreak took an upward trend:

"Since then, we have decided to close our social facilities, museums and cultural centres. Our government implemented the first restrictions on November 17. As of December 2, the second restrictions were introduced. As noted by our İMM Science Board, I think a total lockdown will be a remedy.

"I think partial measures will prolong the process and fail to bring results. Today, till this hour, we have 437 people laid to rest; 204 of them are due to a contagious disease. For nearly a month, we have been burying over 400 people a day, it has never decreased. We have entered the third week of restrictions. There has been an oscillation in the figures, but no drop.

"It needs to be clearly said that this is not enough. In today's meeting as well, our Advisory Board indicated that lockdown was a must. They recommend 3 weeks. They say that 2 weeks can also bear positive results.

"We know the economic repercussions of a total lockdown. I think we, together with all institutions of our state, can overcome this concern."

CLICK - İstanbul Mayor insists the city needs a full lockdown as Covid-19 deaths not decreasing

Most recently, İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu made a call for "total lockdown" in İstanbul as part of COVID-19 measures on November 14 and December 8. (EMK/SD)