Turkey is paying for Erdogan’s missteps
For many years, it wasn’t the economy that determined voting behaviour in Turkey. The country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won almost every election he contested despite a deteriorating economic outlook.
Turkey reported 50 new COVID-19 deaths and 1,546 fresh cases on Saturday as it prepared steps to return to normal life.
Taking to Twitter, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca posted a figure, saying total fatalities stand at 3,739, while infections number 137,115. and 89,480 patients have recovered.
Shopping malls, barber shops, hairdressers and beauty salons will open for business on Monday as Turkey starts easing restrictions.
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Turkey’s first lockdown was imposed at the weekend on April 11-12, followed by the second on April 18-19, and lastly, four days of curfew on April 23-26.
On May 5, the travel restrictions for seven cities has been lifted but the limitations for 24 other provinces, including Istanbul, would continue, according to the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, one of Turkey’s biggest soccer clubs, Besiktas, announced a player and a club employee had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The number of novel coronavirus cases recorded worldwide surpassed four million on Saturday, according to an AFP tally based on official sources, as of 2145 GMT.
There are now at least 4,001,437 cases of coronavirus around the world, with 277,127 deaths.
The United States has been the hardest-hit country, with 1,305,544 cases and 78,618 deaths. Europe is the hardest-hit continent, with 1,708,648 cases and 155,074 deaths.
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