Epidemic to linger longer than 1-2 months, says Coronavirus Committee member

A member of Turkish Health Ministry's Coronavirus Science Committee has said that the epidemic will linger longer than just a few months and urged a curfew to be declared in provinces that have been hit by the virus the most.

Tuesday March 31 2020 11:08 pm

Duvar English

As the tally of COVID-19 infections continues to rise in Turkey, many people are asking: "How long is this thing going to last?"

A member of Health Ministry's Coronavirus Science Committee has said that the epidemic will linger longer than just a few months and urged a curfew to be declared in provinces that have been hit by the virus the most.

Prof. Dr. Necmettin Ünal made the remarks on his Twitter account, after Health Ministry announced that deaths from virus increased by 46 to 214 on March 31, as the number of confirmed cases rose by 2,704 to 13,531.

“Today the number of cases rose to 13,531. The number of citizens who died in Turkey [of the virus] is 214. We should not be demoralized. It seems that this epidemic is not something to end in 1-2 months. There are places which have lost the control [in terms of curbing the spread speed]; a provincial-based curfew is a must in those provinces. It is not possible to prevent the epidemic in any other way,” Ünal wrote.

Bugün #vaka13531’e yükseldi. Türkiye’de vefat eden toplam vatandaşımız 214. Moral bozmamak gerek. Görünen o ki bu salgın durumu 1-2 ayda bitecek bir olay değil.
İpin ucunun kaçtığı yerler var, o illerde il bazlı sokağa çıkma yasağı şart. Başka türlü salgını önlemek mümkün değil..
— Prof. Dr. Necmettin ÜNAL (@NecmettinUnal_) March 31, 2020

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been dismissing calls to impose a curfew amid the increasing number of coronavirus cases.

The opposition mayors of Istanbul and İzmir have each urged the government to impose a city-wide curfew in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

“Some 60 percent of Istanbul is in danger. If 15 percent of the city’s population go outside, that would mean 2.5 million people. The number corresponds to the population of some European cities,” Ekrem İmamoğlu said in an interview on March 30, adding that people go out on the streets when whether gets warmer.