FILE PHOTO: Tourists enjoy a sunny day during a two-day curfew amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, January 31, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey recorded 40,806 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Thursday, the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic.
Cases have surged since the government eased measures to curb the pandemic in early March.
On Monday, President Tayyip Erdogan announced a tightening of measures, including the return of full nationwide weekend lockdowns for the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on April 13.
The total number of cases stands at 3.358 million, the data showed. The latest daily death toll was 176, bringing the cumulative toll to 31,713.
(Reporting by Daren Butler;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
