People enjoy themselves at a beach in Ayvalik district of the northwestern province of Balikesir, Turkey, Aug. 4, 2020. Turkish people flocking to shores to spend the four-day holiday of Eid al-Adha last week has raised health concerns over the further surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The total number of infected cases across the country climbed to 233,851, while 5,747 people have died so far, the ministry's data revealed. (Photo by Osman Orsal/Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkish people flocking to shores to spend the four-day holiday of Eid al-Adha last week has raised health concerns over the further surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Beaches, cafes, and restaurants in many resort towns along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts were packed with holidaymakers, while hotels also enjoyed the boom.
Despite the critical calls of the officials not to stay in crowds, the Turkish people mostly ignored the pandemic rules during the festival, according to the country's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
"Unfortunately, the pandemic factor was not sufficiently taken into consideration during the celebrations at holiday resorts," Koca twitted on Monday night, putting the latest daily increase of COVID-19 cases at 995.
The total number of infected cases across the country climbed to 233,851, while 5,747 people have died so far, the ministry's data revealed.
"We are concerned about the increase in the number of cases across the country in the coming days," the minister said, urging citizens to be careful on vacation.
Yasemin Yavuz and her family of three came to Ayvalik, a district of the northwestern province of Balikesir, on Monday to spend the last day of the festival at the Sarimsakli beach.
"Not a single person was wearing a mask on the beach. They were swimming side by side in the sea," she told Xinhua over the phone, saying that they had to return to their home in the western province of Izmir a couple of hours later.
Tevfik Ozlu, a member of the Scientific Committee, noted that there might be an "explosion" in the number of the coronavirus cases in the upcoming seven to 10 days as citizens mostly did not comply with the rules of social distancing, wearing masks, and confined social life.
"If the figures take an upward course again, some restrictions may be imposed to prevent the spread of the pandemic," Ozlu said at a televised speech on Monday.
Mehmet Ceyhan, president of the Infectious Diseases Association, said that a restriction could be imposed on social gatherings, including beaches, according to press reports.
Sukran Boncuk, a 68-year-old resident of the Kusadasi district in the western Aydin province, told Xinhua that she did not step out during the last couple of days due to the crowd.
Boncuk also said the mobile application of the health ministry has lately increased the risk level of her neighborhood.
However, Sururi Corabatir, chairman of the Turkey Hoteliers Federation, emphasized that people who stayed at home for a long time due to the pandemic restrictions needed a vacation.
He told the state-run Anadolu agency that travelers re-energized the pandemic-hit tourism sector, and the occupancy rate in the hotels in all regions has seen a significant increase.
Corabatir added all the necessary precautions have been taken in hotels for a safe stay.
