Main opposition CHP proposes board for pandemic-exit strategy

ANKARA

Turkey's main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on April 27 proposed to establish a new board by the government for studying strategies on pandemic-exit.

“New expert teams should be established for the exit of the outbreak,” the party's spokesperson Faik Öztrak said told a press conference.

Other countries have established such boards to draw up strategies to be implemented in the period of easing pandemic measures so that would prevent a second wave.

Turkey should advance the current board with new experts to study on this strategy or should form a new board, the spokesperson said.

This strategy should be shared with the people and the parliament shall be informed as well, he said.

Öztrak also criticized the 1,000 Turkish Liras (about $143) of financial aid, distributed to the citizens in need, saying that such a "limited support" will have no cure for the compulsory expenditures of these households.

Officials are working on devising possible plans to pave the way for easing outbreak restrictions in light of the comments Health Minister Fahrettin Koca made recently when he said cases may plateau soon.

Turkey can reach the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in one week or 10 days, Koca said on April 17 following a meeting with the Science Board.

Koca added that the number of cases will start to decrease in two or three weeks.

If the number of new cases does not fluctuate and follow a path, as Koca suggested, returning to some sort of normalcy could be possible after Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan and that is set to take place between May 23 and May 26 this year.