Turkey’s coronavirus death toll jumps to 92, as confirmed cases increase to 5,698

Duvar English

Turkey’s death toll from coronavirus rose by 17 to 92 as the number of cases increased by 2,069 to 5,698, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on March 27.

He said that 7,533 tests were carried out within the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests carried out in Turkey to around 47,000.

Some 344 coronavirus patients are currently being held in intensive care units, 241 of whom are treated with intubation, the minister said. Some 42 patients have been so far discharged from hospitals after recovery, he said, adding that about 63 percent of the intensive care units in the country are currently occupied.

Koca made the statements during a press conference held after a meeting of the Health Ministry's Coronavirus Science Committee.

He said that the Health Ministry will start to announce the confirmed figures on cases of coronavirus infection on its website.

The Science Committee has proposed wider measures against the coronavirus outbreak, and this issue has been conveyed to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his consideration, Koca said.

"The measure that the Science Committee proposes for 83 million people [in Turkey] is a life style that is limited for a certain period time," he said.

"People should contact each other as little as possible. For this, working hours, work days and holidays should be regulated."

The government is not disclosing the location of cases to prevent the risk of increasing transmission rates by encouraging people to move from areas with high rates to places where there are no or few cases, Koca added.

Turkey limits intercity bus travel, bans beach walks and fishing

Earlier, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that the government will limit intercity bus travel and ban walks and fishing along the seashores and beaches, as well as jogging in forests and parks on weekends.

The implementation will come into effect on March 28, Soylu told an interview on NTV news channel.

Local governors could decide to extend the decision to week days, he said.