AKP deputy diagnosed with COVID-19 after attending party congress

An AKP deputy tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the party's massive congress in Ankara on March 24. The party's event prompted nationwide protest for the size of the crowds that gathered in the capital, although the president claimed that the snowfall in the city had cleansed the air and reduced the risk of COVID-19 spreading.

Monday March 29 2021 12:01 pm

Duvar English

A deputy from ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), İsmail Tamer, said that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Twitter on March 28, some four days after the party's massive congress in Ankara.

"I tested positive for COVID-19 today. I especially encourage all our friends who saw me a week ago to get tested," Tamer said in a tweet.

Bu günkü yaptırdığım Covit 19 test’im pozitif çıktı. Bir hafta öncesinde benimle görüşen tüm arkadaşlarımızın test yaptırmalarını özellikle istirham ediyorum . Ankara Şehir Hastane yattığımı belirtir dualarınızda olmam arzusuyla kamuoyuna duyururum .
— Op.Dr. İsmail TAMER 🟢 (@mvitamer) March 28, 2021

Tamer attended the AKP congress on March 24 in Ankara, where thousands of members from across the country came together in blatant disregard of COVID-19 restrictions, although the president claimed that the snowfall in the city had cleansed the air and reduced the risk of COVID-19 spreading.

The AKP's national congress closely followed provincial congresses the party held in dozens of locations in February, which were reported to have led to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came under fire after one provincial congress for boasting about filling the hall "to the brim," and other AKP members have been slammed for attending mass gatherings that served as superspreader events.