...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...cases in Ankara are stretching hospitals to the limit and
The city is now the epicentre of
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
’s COVID-19 outbreak, the government announced this week, and although authorities say there is no plan for a lockdown as yet officials privately say new measures may be needed soon.
"Ankara has become Wuhan," said geriatrics professor Mustafa Cankurtaran at Ankara’s Hacettepe medical faculty, referring to the Chinese city where the new coronavirus first emerged.
"A 10-14 day lockdown should be imposed. Health capacity may be exceeded," he tweeted on Wednesday, urging the government to open all medical centres, including private health units.
Two officials told Rooters the number of cases in Ankara was rising faster than anticipated, and current measures including mask-wearing and social distancing were not having the results they anticipated.
"The daily positive cases are high enough to cause discomfort now, and everyone has started seeing daily new cases in their close circles," said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"If new measures are not taken, it appears it will be more difficult to prevent new problems," the official added, saying some "city-based" steps could be taken.