Turkey has entered its first full weekend lockdown since May after Covid-19 infections and deaths hit record highs in recent days. Turkey having 83 million populace on Friday recorded 32,736 new cases, including asymptomatic ones, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic in March.

The total death toll scaled up by 193 on Friday, touching a daily record level seen earlier this week, to 14,509. Turkish television showed largely empty squares and streets on Saturday in the largest city Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the third-largest city Izmir, with only a few people and vehicles out and about.

Turkey now ranks fourth globally for the number of daily new cases, behind only the United States, India and Brazil - all countries with far larger populations than Turkey. For four months, Turkey only reported daily symptomatic cases, but it has reported all cases since Nov. 25. Historical data for all positive cases and the cumulative total are still not available. Turkey last imposed full weekend lockdowns in large cities in May. It announced nationwide weekend curfews last month, but the measures failed to halt the rise in new cases and deaths.

President Tayyip  Erdogan announced the full weekend lockdown on Monday, as well as a curfew on weekdays.

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