Turkey reports highest daily total of new COVID-19 cases

Reuters
·1 min read
FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective masks walk over the Galata Bridge in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey on Saturday reported its highest daily number of new coronavirus patients since the outbreak started.

Data from the Health Ministry showed that 5,532 people had been diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms in the previous 24 hours.

Since July, Ankara has only reported symptomatic cases of coronavirus, a move that critics say hides the true scale of the outbreak.

The daily death toll from the coronavirus was 135, bringing the cumulative total to 12,219.

To battle a surge in cases, Turkey this week introduced partial weekend curfews and limited the opening hours of restaurants, cafes and shopping malls.

(Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Kevin Liffey)