Voice of America
16 Sep 2020, 23:35 GMT+10
SANLIURFA/LONDON - Doctors and local politicians in Turkey are voicing concern that the government is downplaying the scale of the resurgent coronavirus outbreak.
The latest official figures suggest there are around 1,700 new infections and around 60 deaths every day across the country. But doctors say the numbers do not add up, as they are seeing a much higher prevalence of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.
Dr. Kenan Gengec runs a clinic in Sanliurfa in Turkey's Anatolia region, one of the areas worst-hit by Turkey's coronavirus resurgence. He is also a board member of the city's Chamber of Doctors. Gengec said the outbreak is far worse than the government is acknowledging.
"These days, they publish daily official cases of around 1,500 infections nationally. But some days, in Sanliurfa alone, we have 600 to 700 cases. It is very obvious that the numbers they publish are not correct," Gengec told VOA in an interview Monday.
Similar concerns were raised two weeks ago by the mayors of Turkey's two biggest cities, Istanbul and Ankara. The mayors, both members of the opposition Republican People's Party, warned of a mismatch between statistics from the Ministry of Health and the numbers they were receiving locally.
Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, said the number of local infections in his city equalled the government figures for the whole country.
At a recent webinar organized by opposition parties, Mansur Yavas, mayor of Ankara, said, "What benefit is there to underreporting the numbers? In my view, it should be the other way round. Otherwise, people won't stop going to weddings, going to funerals. They won't stop gathering together."
Gengec says he believes the government is trying to limit economic damage.
"It is tourism season, and because of this, they have economic concerns," he told VOA. "They are worried that the public will be angry, and they don't want people to see their failures with such high numbers. So, they don't give the correct information."
Turkey's Ministry of Health and the governor of Sanliurfa declined interviews with VOA.
Sanliurfa-based journalist Ibrahim Uygur said the government is not providing enough information.
"Until one month ago, they published how many positive cases were in Sanliurfa, but now they don't release it. Now, we can only publish the daily number the government gives for all (of) Turkey," Uygur told VOA Monday.
Sanliurfa residents who spoke to VOA also appeared skeptical of the government's numbers.
"The reason why the virus is so prevalent in Sanliurfa is because no one cares about the rules," local resident Mehmet Veysel Akdeniz told VOA. "They don't wear masks. They are not ashamed. They go to weddings, and many catch the virus."
Turkey denies any cover-up. In recent days the government has brought in new restrictions following a surge in cases. Face masks are now compulsory outside the home, and social gatherings like weddings are limited to one hour, with dancing and catering banned.
Memet Aksakal contributed to this report.
Get a daily dose of International Travel News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to International Travel News.
More InformationHONG KONG: Hong Kong is set to cut 10,000 civil service jobs and freeze public sector salaries as part of a cost-cutting initiative...
BEIJING, China: Alibaba has made its video- and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1, publicly available, marking a significant step...
BERLIN, Germany: Consumer sentiment in Germany has taken an unexpected turn for the worse heading into March despite forecasts predicting...
CAPE TOWN, South Africa: An international summit on global poverty faced setbacks this week as key finance leaders skipped the G20...
ATLANTA, Georgia: After two years of declining same-store sales, Home Depot finally saw a turnaround in the fourth quarter, fueled...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rallied on Friday as economic data showed the U.S. Federal Reserve has likely tamed inflation. The...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Dublin has unveiled a new 5.5 million euro cycle track along the south quays, enhancing safety and accessibility for...
MEXICO CITY, Mexico: Three American women were found dead over the weekend at a beach resort in Belize, police said. Officials are...
ABU DHABI, UAE - Etihad Airways has announced plans to deploy its Airbus A380 aircraft on the Abu Dhabi–Toronto route starting June...
LOS ANGELES, California: The Trump administration is once again challenging California's high-speed rail project, with federal transportation...
Washington DC [US], March 1 (ANI): US Representative Christopher Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and...
Calangute (Goa) [India], March 1 (ANI): BJP MLA Michael Lobo has reacted to his reported remarks that 'Idli-Sambhar' sold in beach-shacks...