Turkey’s confirmed coronavirus cases have risen to 82,329, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, overtaking neighbouring Iran for the first time to register the highest total in the Middle East.
An increase of 3,783 cases in the last 24 hours also pushed Turkey’s confirmed tally within a few hundred of China, where the novel coronavirus first emerged.
Mr Koca said 121 more people have died, taking the death toll to 1,890.
A total of 10,453 people have recovered from coronavirus so far, and the number of tests carried out over the past 24 hours came to 40,520, the minister said.
The Interior Ministry said it was extending restrictions on travel between 31 cities for a further 15 days starting at midnight on Saturday.
On his Twitter account, Mr Koca announced Istanbul Başakşehir City Hospital, “one of Europe’s largest intensive care hospitals”, would open on April 20, adding new facilities to fight against the pandemic.
“The huge healthcare complex consisting of eight separate hospitals will add strength to the power of our health system,” he tweeted along with a video showcasing the new facilities.