Turkey reports its highest daily COVID cases, deaths

Turkey has recorded 62,797 new coronavirus cases and 279 deaths in the last 24 hours, its highest daily figures since the start of the pandemic.

With Wednesday’s numbers, the total number of cases recorded in Turkey has surpassed four million.

The total death toll has risen to 34,737.

On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that, starting Wednesday, several new restrictions and a “partial closure” for the first two weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan would be put in place to curb the surge in cases.

“In the recent period, the rising case and death numbers mainly in metropolitan cities are directing us to tighten measures again… We cannot remain observers to this trend,” Erdogan said.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the duration of a weekday curfew had been extended, announced limitations on intercity travel and public transport, and banned all events in closed spaces until after Ramadan.

He said the measures could be further tightened within two weeks.

“If, in this two-week period, we cannot obtain the expected improvement in the picture we are targeting, implementing much tougher measures after that will become inevitable.”

The number of new cases jumped more than five-fold from early March when Erdogan eased social curbs.

On Monday, the health minister warned of a third peak in the pandemic.

Turkey ranks seventh globally in the number of COVID-19 cases.