Turkey recorded 61,967 new COVID-19 infections and 362 deaths Wednesday, according to Health Ministry data.
Despite a widespread vaccination campaign, the country has been struggling to contain skyrocketing infection numbers, with daily figures mostly exceeding 60,000 for much of the past week.
With Wednesday’s figures, the total coronavirus cases since the outbreak’s beginning in the country reached 4.45 million, while the total death toll stood at 36,975.
The data showed more than 318,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the country over the past 24 hours.
For recoveries, 52,213 patients were declared recovered by the ministry, bringing the total figure to 3.84 million.
The country currently has 565,274 recorded active COVID-19 cases.
After witnessing an overwhelming number of new infections, the government decided to reintroduce several restrictions that had been previously eased as part of the normalization process.
Starting April 14, special measures went into effect for the first two weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The weekday curfew now lasts from 7 p.m. (moved forward from 9 p.m.) to 5 a.m., during which intercity travel will also be banned, except in emergency cases. Weekend lockdowns will also continue in high-risk cities.
Cafes and restaurants will only provide delivery and takeout services, while wedding halls, sports centers and gyms will remain closed until the end of Ramadan.
Ankara is expected to announce either new restrictions or the continuation of current measures next week following a Cabinet meeting.
