North uneasy as coronavirus cases spiral in Turkey

After easing restriction measures on June 1, Turkey appears to be once again faced with the nightmare of soaring numbers of new coronavirus cases.

Dozens of districts in Turkey are preparing to reinstate protection measures and to warn their residents over the notable rise in cases, Turkish media outlets are reporting.

Turkish opposition daily Karar said the areas of Adana, Kastamonu, Konya, Bitlis, Bursa, Nigde, Urfa, Ardahan and Diyarbakir are on alert and stepping up protection measures due to the increase in coronavirus outbreaks

Turkish government issues warnings

Recent days have seen new cases across Turkey surpass 1,500, sending waves of concern across the Turkish government and its scientists.

The critical situation has seen the Turkish government take advantage of all available means to reach the public, including mosque sound systems, to request that the public maintains necessary protection measures.

In Kastamonu and Ardahan, district authorities have imposed a mandatory mask use in public spaces.

Information points to hospitals in Konya treating patients over its capacity.

In Bitlis, which saw zero new cases for several days, new cases have once again surged to three digit figures.

Due to spiralling new coronavirus cases, residents of Diyarbakir have restricted themselves to their homes, and are avoiding public spaces.

Over the past 24 hours, Turkey as a whole announced 1,562 new coronavirus cases and 15 fatalities. So far, the country has seen 178,239 cases and 4,897 coronavirus fatalities.

The north in distress

The Turkish Cypriot community, which under normal circumstances would be preparing to receive visitors from Turkey from July 1, is closely following the coronavirus situation in the neighbouring country.

The indignation of Turkish Cypriots peaked after a new scandal brought significant social and political turmoil.

As reported by Turkish Cypriot paper ‘Yeni Duzen’, a private jet flew into the north from Adana, which is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases. The plane carried Turkish businessmen, accompanied by family and friends.

Upon landing in the north, the passengers of the private jet made their way to a grand hotel, without undergoing any health checks or being placed in quarantine. According to the ‘government’, the passengers were transported out of the airport through a gate that serves the passage of fire trucks.

The incident drew intense reaction, with the visitors pressured to quickly depart from the island.

Turkish Cypriot opposition said the new scandal proves that the north has effectively been transformed into a place where anything goes, where the necessary virus protection measures are not adequately enforced. On Monday, the opposition tried get the ‘government’ to provide answers at a meeting of the ‘parliament’, but the explanations given haven’t managed to satisfy public opinion.

Reacting to the incident, president of the Turkish Cypriot doctors’ associations Ozlem Gurgut expressed intense disappointment over the fact that in the midst of the pandemic, it is Turkish businessmen that are visiting the north, but not technicians needed to repair medical equipment.

Recent reports suggested that the Turkish businessmen at the centre of the scandal are looking to take on the development project of the Lapithos marina.