Turkey logs 16,749 new COVID-19 cases, highest daily rise this year

FILE PHOTO: People sit at a cafe that reopened after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions were eased, in Istanbul, Turkey March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Cansu Alkaya

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey has recorded 16,749 new coronavirus cases in the space of 24 hours, the highest daily increase this year, health ministry data showed on Tuesday, amid an easing of nationwide restrictions.

Turkey has recorded a total of 2,911,642 COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, the data showed, while 71 people have died due to COVID-19 in the the last 24 hours, raising the cumulative death toll to 29,623.

Earlier, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged Turks to abide by measures to support a normalisation process started two weeks ago. On Monday, President Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged the recent rise in infections, but said no new restrictions would be imposed for now.

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