A police officer stops and inspects a car for COVID-19 control purposes in Istanbul, Turkey, May 2, 2020. (Xinhua Photo)
-- Turkey reports 127,659 COVID-19 cases, 3,461 deaths;
-- Iran records 98,647 COVID-19 cases, 6,277 deaths;
-- Saudi Arabia confirms 28,656 cases, 191 deaths;
-- Israel says recoveries reach 10,064.
CAIRO, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's total confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 127,659, while Iran's tally increased to 98,647 on Monday. As the hardest-hit countries in the Middle East, both witness continued slowdown in the pandemic.
Turkey's total confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 127,659, with 1,614 new patients reported in the last 24 hours, Turkish Health Ministry said on Monday.
The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Turkey reached 3,461 after 64 more lost their lives over the past 24 hours.
A total of 68,166 patients have recovered, the minister said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a series of steps to gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions.
Speaking after attending a cabinet meeting via a video conference from Istanbul, Erdogan said the government would gradually ease the restrictions during May, June, and July.
The infection of 1,223 people with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours took Iran's tally to 98,647, said Iran's Health Ministry.
The number of fatalities in the country mounted to 6,277 after 74 died overnight, the ministry said.
People wearing face masks walk on a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
Iranians attend religious ceremonies at drive-in venues in the capital Tehran during the coronavirus pandemic.
With the mosques shut down during the holy month of Ramadan, families attend the ceremonies together in their cars "without having a face-to-face or direct contact" with other people.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that the mosques would reopen in 132 towns designated as low-risk areas on Monday, as the COVID-19 infection cases and the death toll have taken on a downward trend over the past weeks.
In Saudi Arabia, 1,645 new coronavirus cases were reported on Sunday, raising the total cases to 28,656. It also reported 7 new deaths to bring the total fatalities to 191.
The number of coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 16,246 with 38 new cases.
The number of recoveries from coronavirus in Israel has reached 10,064, with 315 new recoveries, the state's Ministry of Health said.
Palestinian workers wait to cross to Israel at the Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Luay Sababa)
The number of death cases increased to 235 with three new death cases, while the number of patients in serious condition dropped from 94 to 90, out of 260 patients currently hospitalized.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced 203 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 14,730.
The ministry also confirmed 11 more fatalities, pushing up the death toll to 137.
The Egyptian health ministry confirmed on Monday 348 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the country to 6,813.
Meanwhile, seven patients died from the novel coronavirus on Monday, raising the death toll to 436, said the ministry, highlighting Egypt's cooperation with the World Health Organization regarding COVID-19 case detection and necessary medical care.
People wearing face masks are seen at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, on April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
The Iraqi health ministry on Sunday confirmed 50 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 2,346 in the country. So far, 98 have died from the disease while 1,490 recovered.
The Iraqi authorities on Monday imposed new health restrictions, including using odd-even vehicle rationing system, to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Qatar's health ministry on Monday announced 640 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number in the Gulf state to 16,191.
Kuwait reported 295 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths, bringing the total infections in the country to 5,278 and the death toll to 40.
The Omani Ministry of Health announced 69 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 2,637.
Lebanon's number of COVID-19 cases increased on Monday by three to 740, while the death toll remained at 25.
Restaurants, cafes, clothing shops and others reopened on Monday following a decision by the cabinet to relax general mobilization amid deteriorating economic conditions and the need for shops to generate revenues to survive.
Sudan on Monday announced 86 new infections with COVID-19, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 678. ■
