ANKARA: Turkey is easing its coronavirus lockdown from June 1, despite the World Health Organization saying it is one of the leading European countries for coronavirus infections.
The virus has killed 4,461 people in Turkey, and there were 160,979 infections as of May 28. It ranks 10th worldwide in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to reopen from Monday while intercity travel restrictions will be lifted the same day.
Many professional organizations, especially the Turkish Medical Association, find the abrupt restart of business activity to be premature and have called for increased testing, claiming that mass gatherings may trigger further contagion as the first wave of the outbreak is not yet over.
Lebanese security forces began handing out fines to enforce the wearing of face masks, as the country recorded four new cases to bring its tally to 1,172.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia recorded 17 new COVID-19-related deaths, raising the total to 458. There were 1,581 new cases reported in Saudi Arabia, meaning 81,766 people have now contracted the disease. There are 24,295 active cases.
France’s national health agency reported a sudden jump in new infections — just an hour after the prime minister announced a sweeping national reopening plan. The agency clarified that the new figures were the result of a new accounting method, and not linked to a much-feared second wave of the virus.
