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Turkey imposes first curfew as coronavirus infections surge

Ankara has announced its first lockdown covering 12 areas in the Black Sea coastal provinces of Rize and Trabzon as Turkey suffers its largest single-day jump in coronavirus cases.

A worker in a protective suit sprays disinfectant at Grand Bazaar, known as the Covered Bazaar, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2YQF9U548J
A worker in a protective suit sprays disinfectant at Grand Bazaar to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in Istanbul, Turkey, March 25, 2020. — REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The Turkish authorities announced the country’s first lockdown in 12 population centers in the Black Sea provinces of Rize and Artvin in the wake of Turkey's largest single-day jump in coronavirus cases.

Seventeen more people were killed by the novel coronavirus on March 27, bringing the total death toll to 92, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced today. The total number of cases is up to 5,998 with more than 2,000 new confirmed cases — the largest single-day surge since the country reported its first case on March 10. 

The curfew will be imposed tomorrow in some of the towns and villages in the two provinces. The town of Kenderli and five villages near it are among the locations ordered to go into lockdown, the local health officials in Rize announced Friday.

“The residents are banned from leaving their homes except for emergencies until a further notice,” the province’s health directorate’s statement read. The official body also ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down and announced that entry into these locations “will be strictly controlled.” 

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