Turkey logs highest daily COVID-19 cases, deaths since start of pandemic

Turkey on April 14 reported 62,797 new coronavirus cases and 279 deaths, its highest single-day figures since the start of the pandemic. The country has seen a five-fold jump in daily virus cases since March, when the government initiated a gradual normalization process.

Wednesday April 14 2021 08:28 pm

This photo shows a view of Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square where a few tourists are walking.

Duvar English - Reuters

Turkey on April 14 recorded 62,797 new coronavirus cases and 279 deaths, Health Ministry data showed, registering the highest daily death toll and rise in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The total number of cases recorded in Turkey have surpassed 4 million with the numbers of April 14. The total death roll rose to 34,737, according to the data.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 13 announced several new restrictions and a "partial closure" for the first two weeks of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to curb the surge in cases. Erdoğan warned that tougher curbs could follow if case numbers did not drop.

Turkey ranks fourth globally in daily COVID-19 infections numbers - a five-fold jump from early March, when Erdoğan loosened social curbs in what he called a period of "controlled normalization."

Ankara has blamed lax public adherence to rules and virus variants for the surge.