Erdogan says Turkey lost some ground in coronavirus battle in recent surge

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on June 20 that the nation lost some ground in the battle against coronavirus after the recent surge in cases. During a televised address, Erdogan emphasised on the importance of hygiene and social distancing measures to protect lives and help the economy rebound in the second half of the year.

“The numbers in recent days show that we have lost our position in the fight against the epidemic,” said the President, adding that focus on masks and social distancing will help remove the pandemic from government’s agenda.

Turkey has reported over 185,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with more than 4,905 death related to the highly contagious disease. Earlier this month, the government lifted the stay-home orders and restrictions on intercity travel but rise in daily cases triggered fear of another wave of COVID-19. On June 18, face masks were made compulsory in public places as residents crowded the streets, malls, and vacation spots.

'Major threat'

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned of a "new and dangerous phase" of the pandemic. During a media briefing on June 19, the WHO Director-General said that the pandemic still poses a major threat even countries are eager to open up their societies and economies. 

“But the virus is still spreading fast, it’s still deadly & most people are still susceptible," said the top WHO official.

Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India's Cases Soar To 3,95,048; Recovery Rate Improves To 54.13%

According to the latest report, over 8.8 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with more than 463,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe. The United States, Brazil, and Russia are the worst-hit countries while India reporting a sharp rise in the coronavirus cases.

On June 18, more than 150,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported globally, the highest single-day number so far. Tedros said that nearly half of the newly reported cases were from the Americas, with significant numbers from South Asia and the Middle East. He called on all countries and all people to exercise extreme vigilance and continue maintaining distance from others.

Read: US Reports 31,905 New Coronavirus Cases And 691 Deaths In 24 Hours

(Image: AP)