Health minister warns of rising virus cases amid Eid

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases across Turkey surged by 30 percent last week, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, warning citizens to follow the social distance rules during the Eid Al-Adha holiday.

"Do not take the measures lightly in the rush and joy of the holiday. Stay away from closed and crowded environments. Do not be careless as that could cast a shadow over the holiday," Koca said, sharing the latest figures of the cases.

Koca also stressed that the number of people who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine across the country exceeded 39 million since the authorities launched a mass vaccination campaign in January.

While over 21 million people are fully vaccinated, authorities aim to give the first dose of vaccine to at least 20 million more people within a month and a half after Eid al-Adha, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry also confirmed 7,667 new infections and 50 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Alper Şener, a member of the Coronavirus Science Board, warned that Eid visits should be short and made outdoors.

Noting the potential risks that Delta Variant carries, he said that the variant created serious problems even in countries with a high vaccination rate.

"Since Delta variant carries a 1,000 times higher viral load, it is necessary to finish exchanging Eid greetings in-person in a maximum of five minutes and keep it as minimum as possible," Şener said.