President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey facesĀ a āhistoric catastropheā as the country suffered its deadliest day yet from the coronavirus pandemic and warned against āpolitical profiteeringā as his government spars with opposition mayors over its response to the fast-spreading outbreak.
Another 79 people died in the last 24 hours, bringing theĀ death tollĀ toĀ 356 people, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. Another 2,456 people tested positiveĀ and the country now has 18,135 confirmed cases, he said. Testing has increased to 18,135 a day ā nearly double the rateĀ just five days ago.
The virus has infectedĀ 601 medical professionalsĀ in Turkey, Koca said on Wednesday.Ā Cemil Tascioglu, an internist who taught at Istanbul University, became the first doctor to die after testing positive for the coronavirus on March 17, his son said in a tweet. Tascioglu, 67, was also the first medical professional to diagnose the disease in a Turkish patient. Koca said a retiredĀ medical school instructor diedĀ on Thursday. A 33-year-oldĀ nurse died last week.
Pharmacists have warned that they too are in danger, prompting the Istanbul governor toĀ reduce their workdaysĀ by an hour. The Istanbul Chamber of PharmacistsĀ said last week its members were falling ill as patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were āforced to visit pharmacy after pharmacy to fill their prescriptions, making ourĀ pharmacies a focal pointĀ in the spread of the epidemic.ā
AĀ Greek ferryĀ leased by a Turkish company has been quarantined off Athensā port of Piraeus after 120 of the 383 crew and passengers tested positive for the virus. The boat has 160Ā Turkish crewĀ members on board, the Turkish ambassador to Greece told CNN Turk.
More than 980,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19Ā across the globeĀ and some 50,000 have died since the novel coronavirus, which can cause acute respiratory distress, surfaced in China in December.
On Wednesday, KocaĀ released for the first time the locations of cases in Turkey, showing the majority ā 8,852 ā were in the largest city of Istanbul, followed by 853 cases in Izmir and 712 in the capital, Ankara, as of Wednesday. The virus has now spread to all of Turkeyās 81 provinces, he said. He shared data showing one infected patient had spread the virus to 30 others.
The revelation that Istanbul was the site of 60% of the nationās cases prompted its mayor,Ā Ekrem Imamoglu, to repeat his plea to the government to place the city of 16 million people under a stay-at-home order. While the government hasĀ restricted movementĀ within and without Istanbul and has urged Turks to remain at home, Erdogan has so far stopped short of a full lockdown, arguing the āwheels of productionā must keep spinning to keep the economy going. Istanbul accounts for more than a quarter of Turkey’s national output.
āAt a time when we are living through a historic catastrophe, we are in a better place compared to many other countries, but this is not enough. We are carrying out our struggle without panicking, with smart, balanced and realistic measures,ā Erdogan told mayors from his party and its nationalist partner in a videoconference that TV stations broadcast live.
Mayors of Turkeyās three biggest cities, which are all controlled by the main opposition party, were not part of the meeting. Imamoglu and Ankaraās mayorĀ filed a lawsuitĀ against a government order shutting down municipal fundraisers set up to help low-income residents. The ban came after Erdogan announced his own nationwide drive, and he has suggested the citiesā rival charitable efforts are aĀ form of separatism.
Health professionals are worried theĀ political tug-of-warĀ between state and local officials may strain efforts to containĀ the contagion, Al-Monitor has reported.
On Thursday, the president issued a veiled warning against rivals’ efforts to āwater downā and ātarnishā the national fundraising campaign. āOur people will give the appropriate response to those who think they are outside and above the Turkish Republic state. I am saying clearly that those trying to dynamite a project that symbolizes the partnership of 83 million [citizens] is beyond negligence,ā he said. āThe mass conscience will not forget those engaged inĀ political profiteeringĀ at a time like this.ā
Most of theĀ initial donationsĀ to Erdoganās campaign came from state-owned companies and public officials. Donations have since expanded to include money from football clubs, families and Turkeyās tiny communities ofĀ religious minorities, raisingĀ 552.5 million liraĀ ($84 million).
The central governmentās request for help will stoke āsuspicions theĀ treasury is empty,ā Ahmet Davutoglu, Erdoganās former prime minister who broke with him to form aĀ new party, told a news site. āIf you cannot see that the economic crisis is burning households, we all need to worry about a social explosion.ā
The government has introduced a $15 billion rescue package, mainly in the form of loan guarantees and tax breaks. Direct cash support for those impacted by a sharp economic slowdown make up aĀ small portion of aid. But increased military expenditures during two military campaigns in Syria in the last six months and the use of international reserves to prop up the lira, hit by a currency shock in 2018, may be weighing on state finances.
Turkish exports plungedĀ 18% in March, dragging the first-quarter figure down 4% to $42.8 billion, the Trade Ministry said Thursday, citing the economic impact of the epidemic on overseas markets. A $35 billionĀ tourism industryĀ wonāt pick up before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which begins on May 24, said Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. Turkish AirlinesĀ extended its banĀ on international routes until May 1, but flights wonātĀ return to normalĀ until the end of June, he said. Turkey is also limiting domestic flights and has closed the countryās second-biggest airport.
International financial institutions are slashing Turkeyās growth prospects, with Bank of America becoming the latest with a forecast of a 2.3% contraction in 2020, according to Bloomberg. For now, the government is sticking to its target of 5% growth this year.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Duran.