Turkey's coronavirus death toll rises to 214, with 13,531 total cases
Turkey’s deaths from the coronavirus increased by 46 to 214 on March 31, as the number of confirmed cases rose by 2,704 to 13,531, Health Ministry said. The ministry also said 15,422 tests had been conducted on March 31, bringing the total number of tests carried out in Turkey to 92,403 since the outbreak began.
Duvar English
Turkey's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak increased by 46 to 214 on March 31, while the number of confirmed cases of the disease rose by 2,704 to 13,531, health ministry data showed.
Some 243 patients have recovered from the virus so far.
The ministry also said 15,422 tests had been conducted on March 31 - the highest since the start of the outbreak - bringing the total number of tests carried out in Turkey to 92,403 since the outbreak began.
The ministry's data was also shared by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on his Twitter account.
"Our test numbers have increased by 25.2 percent compared to yesterday. The number of our test centers has reached 75. We are faster and more advantaged [compared to before] in determining positive cases. We should not make any compromises on social isolation. Contact = Risk. Please let's not forget," he wrote.
Turkey confirmed its first case of the coronavirus early on March 11.
Since then, the government has taken a series of precautions against the spread of the virus, including shutting down schools, universities, bars, nightclubs, cinemas, cafes, spas, amusement parks as well as swimming pools.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has claimed that the number of coronavirus cases is above 2,000 in Istanbul. The association also said that the number of cases in the western province of İzmir is around 700, while nearly 70 patients are suspected of being infected with the virus in the southeastern province of Şanlıuurfa.
On March 30, İzmir mayor Tunç Soyer from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) joined Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in urging the government in Ankara to declare a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus.
While İmamoğlu has not specified a timeline for the lockdown he was suggesting for Istanbul, Soyer said that a two-week lockdown in İzmir would be beneficial.