Daily infections drop below 1,000 in Turkey for first time in 33 days

ANKARA

Turkey has reported fewer than 1,000 daily COVID-19 cases on July 14 for the first time in more than one month after infections spiked over the past couple of weeks as the country moved to the normalization phase. 

“We are under 1,000 [new coronavirus] cases again. This happened for the first time in 33 days,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter.  

He recalled that the number of new daily cases rose to 1,195 on July 12 from 987 infections in the previous day. “We do not know what happens tomorrow, but we know that we’ll see results of the measures we are taking today a week from today,” Koca said. 

“The outbreak already peaked in Turkey and the country successfully manage this ‘peak period,’ while other nations see record number of patients and deaths, thanks to the country’s strong infrastructure and well-planned approach,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 14, following a cabinet meeting. 

Erdoğan urged people to continue to stick to the basic rules of hygiene, wearing face masks and social distancing. 

“There are no other precautions other than adhering to those rules. It is good news that the number of cases and deaths is declining but we need to bring those numbers to zero with some more sacrifice and effort,” Erdoğan said.