TTB blames Erdogan for rising infections

Infections in Turkey have soared less than a month after authorities divided the 81 provinces into four color-coded categories and relaxed restrictions in some provinces under a “controlled normalization” effort.

Most provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Bursa, Gaziantep, and Konya, are classified at the very high-risk category as of March 29.

The number of infections hit a record on Tuesday, with the Health Ministry confirming 37,303 new cases in the past 24 hours. The country of nearly 84 million also reported 155 deaths on Tuesday, up from around 65 at the start of the month.

The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) meanwhile, blamed the increase in infections on inadequate contact-tracing, the government’s reluctance to impose measures in a timely manner out of economic concerns as well as the premature relaxing of the restrictions.

Erdogan has come under intense criticism for holding his ruling party’s congresses inside packed sport complexes across the country, despite a new surge of COVID-19 cases.

He has been accused of double standards for disregarding the government’s own social distancing rules. In one such event, Erdogan boasted about the size of the crowds.

The nationwide weekday 21:00-05:00 curfew remains in place, the partial weekend curfew that has also been in force in provinces designated as "red" (very high risk) zones has been extended to cover the entire weekend starting at 21:00 each Friday through 05:00 the following Monday.

Residents must remain in their homes during curfew hours, except to perform essential work or seek urgent medical care. While most nonessential stores and businesses must close during curfew hours, grocery stores and food delivery services are exempt; restaurants may perform deliveries.