'Rising trend in COVID-19 spreads almost all across Turkey'

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said that the increase in the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases has spread almost all across the country.

Koca addressed the MPs at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Planning and Budget Commission meeting in Ankara today (November 18).

Taking the floor at the 2020 Health Ministry budget talks, Koca also shared the latest information about the course of the pandemic in Turkey.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Koca has raised concerns that "the rising trend in COVID-19 across major cities including İstanbul, İzmir and Bursa has spread to nearly all of Turkey."

After the budget talks were recessed, the Minister has also answered the questions of reporters. In response to a question regarding the possibility of stricter measures, Minister Koca has noted that the measures to be taken in the upcoming period will be determined by the course of the pandemic:

'New measures will be inevitable'

"As we did in April in the first period of the pandemic, we will evaluate the situation together with the results of the measures we have just taken. We expect our 83 million citizens to observe the measures. So, we can reduce this only by struggling together, we can overcome this only together."

Koca has also stated that as long as the measures are observed, he does not think that new measures will be imposed. "If these measures are not abided by, then new measures will be inevitable," he has warned.

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(AÖ/SD)