The corona virus continues to spread in Turkey - the number of cases is increasing rapidly. A special Corona law now calls critics on the scene.
- The Sars-CoV-2 * coronavirus continues to spread in Turkey .
- President Recep Tayyip E rdogan has therefore called on the population to donate.
- A special Corona law now causes criticism.
Update, 9:15 p.m .: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a four-day curfew for Istanbul and 30 other cities in the country due to the corona pandemic . The curfew is expected to start on Thursday (April 23), Erdogan said. As of Monday (April 21), Turkey registered just under 91,000 coronavirus infections across the country , and the number of deaths rose to more than 2,100.
Because of the pandemic, exit restrictions already apply to senior citizens over 65 and people under 20 in Turkey . Schools are also closed. The government in Ankara has so far refrained from a nationwide curfew . For the 31 largest cities in the country, however, there was a curfew limited to 48 hours over the past two weekends.
Corona crisis in Turkey: numbers continue to rise - Erdogan takes effect
Update, 7.40 p.m .: In the meantime, the number of corona deaths in Turkey has exceeded the 2000 limit. Health minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 127 people had succumbed to the disease in 24 hours. In total, deaths from Covid-19 were reported in Turkey in 2017 . In addition, 3977 people tested positive for the corona virus in 24 hours . The total number of coronavirus cases in Turkey rose to 86,306.
Tedbirlere gösterdiğimiz özen meyvelerini veriyor. Biz günlük test imkanlarını artırırken, sorumlu davranışlarınız da yeni vaka sayılarını azaltacak. Sağlık ordumuza ve sağlık sistemimizin gücüne güvenin. Tedbiri elden bırakmayın.
https://t.co/RVlhe7786O pic.twitter.com/3pg0WRQuey
Update, 3:17 p.m .: According to current information from Johns Hopkins University , the number of corona infected in Turkey on Sunday afternoon is 82,329 . Compared to the previous day, the number of infections increased by almost 4,000 people. As previously reported, 1,890 people in the country also died as a result of or as a result of a Covid-19 infection . 10,453 people have completed the coronavirus infection and have now recovered.
Update of April 19, 8.24 a.m .: The numbers continue to rise in Turkey . To date, there are more than 82,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, as Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter on Saturday. 121 new deaths were reported within one day. A total of 1890 people have died in the country to date.
Update of April 18, 9:23 p.m .: To curb the corona virus , Turkey is extending travel restrictions for 31 cities and provinces by two weeks . The borders of the affected regions remain closed for travel by land, air and sea - with the exception of the transport of indispensable goods, as the state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday, citing the Ministry of the Interior.
In the 31 cities and provinces, there was also another two-day curfew this weekend . This had Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday after already for the previous weekend, such a measure had been arranged at short notice. The aim is to prevent people gathering in spring-like weather, as Erdogan emphasized.
Update from April 18, 8:50 a.m . : The number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus * in Turkey is currently 78,546 (as of 8:50 a.m.). 8,631 patients have already been cured, 1,769 have died as a result of the new virus.
Update, 7:27 p.m .: In Turkey, the government and other institutions are launching aid projects for stray animals that find less food in the corona crisis. The country's largest chamber of lawyers in the metropolis of Istanbul with 48,000 members, for example, is collecting food donations until April 26, the newspaper "Cumhuriyet" reported on Friday. According to this, animal lovers can buy feed on the website for the campaign, which would then be distributed.
Corona crisis in Turkey: Erdogan is planning a large-scale operation - and is investigating prominent rivals
Update, 4:55 p.m .: The Turkish Ministry of the Interior has launched an investigation against Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu over a donation campaign by the metropolis of Istanbul for needy citizens in the Corona crisis . This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Imamoglus on Friday. Imamoglu is a member of the opposition party CHP and had inflicted a major defeat on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP in the mayoral election.
Imamoglu had explained the background in an interview published by the Sözcü newspaper on Friday . People had already donated 900,000 lira (around 120,000 euros) when the account was frozen.
“Putting a stop to society's donation to the community in this way is a shame. Whoever signed that should be ashamed, ”said Imamoglu. "In addition, an investigation was started against me." Also against the mayor of the capital, Ankara, who was also opposed by the opposition.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had this and similar actions banned in other opposition-led cities around two weeks ago. At the same time, Erdogan had launched his own donation initiative and accused the opposition party CHP of acting as a “state within a state”. The spokeswoman for Imamoglu's team, Ilayda Kocoglu, said the government was banned only after the city fundraiser began. The money collection was not illegal.
Meanwhile, the situation in Europe is coming to a head. French leader Emmanuel Macron hands out against Germany.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Erdogan government plans large-scale operation
Update, April 17, 12:40 p.m .: The number of people infected with the corona continues to rise rapidly in Turkey . The Johns Hopkins University reported 74,193 infected on Friday morning, representing an increase of 5,801. The number of Covid 19 deaths has also increased. Meanwhile, 1,643 people have died from the consequences of the corona virus. The day before, there were 1,518 people.
Medical personnel are also among the infected. In the Medicana Hospital in Istanbul, more than 80 employees are said to have contracted the virus, as reported by t-online.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government wants to bring around 25,000 people home for Ramadan, the fasting month, despite the corona crisis and the halt to international flights. Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Friday in a series of tweets that "a major operation" had been started with the provincial governors responsible. "Our goal is to ensure that our citizens as God willing in Blessed Ramadan come together with their loved ones," he wrote. It is about people from 59 countries .
Oktay initially did not provide details of the return campaign and any quarantine provisions for the travelers. Ramadan is expected to start on April 24th.
Corona: Notorious Mafia boss released from prison in Turkey - numbers skyrocket
Update, 12.30 p.m .: After the release of thousands of prisoners due to the Corona crisis in Turkey , a notorious mafia boss is again at large. Alaattin Cakici , who was convicted of inciting murder, among other things, was released from prison in Ankara on Thursday (April 16) . He was apparently released on parole.
The law that the dismissal of up to 90,000 prisoners because of the corona crisis permits, was on Tuesday (April 14) adopted by the Parliament in Ankara. Human rights activists and lawyers criticize the regulation because it excludes those detained under terrorism charges and pre-trial detainees .
Cakici was arrested in France in 1998 and convicted of numerous crimes. In 2006, he initially received life imprisonment for inciting the murder of his ex-wife. The sentence was later reduced to 19 years and two months.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Almost 70,000 people infected
Update, April 16, 11.30 a.m .: The number of infected people in Turkey continues to increase. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are 69,392 people infected with the coronavirus (as of April 16, 11:30 a.m.). 1518 people died as a result of the virus .
Coronavirus in Turkey: number of infected people skyrockets - Current case numbers
Update from April 15 : The number of corona infected people in Turkey is currently (as of 10.39 a.m.) 65,111 cases reported. 1403 people have already died in the country with the novel corona virus. 4799 people have recovered from the infection with the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen.
Coronavirus in Turkey: number of infected people skyrockets - clear announcement about Ramadan
Update from April 14, 8:12 p.m .: In Turkey, the number of known corona infections has increased to 65,111 in the past 24 hours, which corresponds to an increase of 4,062 cases compared to the presentation. During the same period, 107 people died in connection with Covid-19 , according to the Ministry of Health , bringing the death toll to 1,403. In total, almost 4,800 patients have now recovered.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Religious agency sticks to Ramadan, the month of fasting
Update of April 14, 2020, 1:50 pm : Despite the coronavirus crisis, believers should fast in Ramadan, according to the Turkish religious authority . “Every healthy believer is obliged to fast during the month of Ramadan as commanded by God. It is not possible to suspend this prayer, ”said the competent authority Diyanet on Tuesday, reports the news agency dpa .
The religious authority further said that, according to experts, fasting healthy people does not favor the spread of the virus. In addition, there is no medical evidence that the immune system is negatively affected. "On the contrary, there are scientific publications that fasting has positive effects on the immune system," it said. Risk groups such as the elderly and people with previous illnesses should refrain from fasting.
The Ramadan will begin on April 24, 2020 and ends a month later. Believing Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from daybreak to sunset.
The Islamic umbrella organization Ditib in Germany * had called on the faithful to hold back during Ramadan last week and advised high-risk groups to refrain from fasting.
Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu, Kovid-19 salgını nedeniyle Ramazan ayı ve oruç ibadetiyle ilgili vatandaşlardan gelen sorular üzerine, kimlerin oruç tutup kimlerin tutamayacağına dair bir açıklama/TAY.htvNT.N.
- Diyanet (@diyanetbasin) April 14, 2020Coronavirus in Turkey: government approves 90,000 prisoner release law
Update from April 14, 2020, 7:26 a.m .: Due to the corona pandemic , the Turkish parliament has approved a controversial draft law for the release of tens of thousands of prisoners . As a result of the acceptance by the deputies, the draft "became law", was an official Twitter message of the parliament in Ankara on Monday evening. Human rights groups had previously criticized the draft law because it did not include political prisoners .
The law, introduced by the government, provides for the release of approximately 90,000 inmates from overcrowded prisons because of the corona pandemic. Some of them are to be placed under house arrest, while others are to be released from prison early. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, a total of 279 MPs voted for the law, 51 against. An amnesty activist wrote on Twitter that no opposition amendment had been accepted.
First report from April 13, 2020:
Ankara - The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 in Turkey has continued to increase in recent days. There are now almost 57,000 confirmed infections . The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan therefore ordered, among other things, extensive curfews * on Friday.
These measures are designed to slow the spread of the virus, as is also practiced in many other European countries.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Erdogan calls on people to donate
In addition, Erdogan also launched a fundraising campaign, which is to compensate for the damage caused by the * Corona crisis. Under the motto "Biz Bize Yeteriz" ("We are enough"), the Turkish president has asked the population to donate to help the needy. What sounds like Erdogan's unselfish action gets a bland aftertaste on closer inspection.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
© AFP / HANDOUT
Because before Erdogan started his fundraising campaign, the mayors of the metropolitan cities of Ankara and Istanbul, among others, took their own initiative and launched their own regional fundraising campaigns. The success did not fail to materialize. Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul , announced that almost 887,000 euros had been raised within one and a half days.
Wiefocus.de reports, however, that the Erdogan government described these calls for donations as illegal and froze the donation accounts . According to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, municipalities are not entitled to collect donations independently according to Turkish law. Erdogan himself spoke of the fact that one cannot tolerate a “state within a state”.
Coronavirus in Turkey: criticism of President Erdogan - votes instead of health
The fact that both the mayors of Ankara and Istanbul, as well as those of the nine other municipalities in which donation campaigns were banned, belong to the largest opposition party, the CHP, is particularly delicate. Critics therefore assume that the government's donation campaign will take the wind out of its sails and take the initiative itself.
The CHP was outraged by the government's actions. In her opinion, collecting donations from municipalities and municipalities is anything but illegal. Erdogan and his government would deliberately sabotage the measures taken by the municipalities. "Instead of promoting public health, it is now just about votes," attorney Dogan Erkan from the Institute for Legal Studies (TODAM) told Focus and warned of the consequences *.
All previous developments of the corona crisis in Turkey can be found here.
In Germany, a discussion about easing has flared up - Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn't like it at all.
Bavaria is introducing a mask requirement as the third federal state from April 27 - we explain the background of this step.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
fd, AFP
List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / dpa / Mustafa Kaya