Turkish coronavirus cases overtake Iran’s to become highest in the Middle East

The interior ministry has extended a weekend ban on entering and leaving 31 provinces in the country for 15 days

A man wearing a mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, walks on the deserted Istiklal Street, the main shopping street in Istanbul, in Istanbul, late Friday, April 3, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A commuter in a mask uses the escalators during the coronavirus outbreak in a nearly deserted underground station in central Istanbul, Friday, April 3, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A woman prays during the coronavirus outbreak at the Eyup Sultan Mosque, in Istanbul, Friday, April 3, 2020. After the fifth and final call to prayer of the day in Muslim Turkey, imams around the country have been asked to perform an additional prayer asking for God's mercy and protection during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Calls echoed across the city of Istanbul, Turkey's largest, as thousands of people have been infected with the virus and others have died. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Commuters in an underground train are driven past a billboard of a book advertisement featuring a picture of U.S. President Benjamin Franklin on the 100-U.S. dollar bill, in central Istanbul, Friday, April 3, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A commuter wears a mask in an underground station during the coronavirus outbreak in central Istanbul, Friday, April 3, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Imam of Eyup Sultan Mosque, Hasan Tok, right, and Imam Metin Cakar, left, hold a prayer for coronavirus in Istanbul, Friday, April 3, 2020. After the fifth and final call to prayer of the day in Muslim Turkey, imams around the country have been asked to perform an additional prayer asking for God's mercy and protection during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Calls echoed across the city of Istanbul, Turkey's largest, as thousands of people have been infected with the virus and hundreds have already died. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Historical Galata Tower is pictured during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Istanbul, Turkey, April 3, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

epa08341640 A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past a couple sitting at the Kadikoy harbour on the Bosphorus amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in Istanbul, Turkey, 03 April 2020. Turkey suspended all international flights and all inter-city travels are subject to local authorities' permission as part of measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The country decided also to halt public events, temporarily shut down schools, and suspend sporting events. EPA/SEDAT SUNA

Coronavirus cases in Turkey have overtaken those of Iran to become the highest in the Middle East, exceeding 82,329, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Saturday.

A sharp increase of 3,783 cases in 24 hours pushed the country’s confirmed tally to within a few hundred of China, where the novel coronavirus was first reported.

Dr Koca said 121 more people had died from Covid-19, taking the death toll to 1,890. A total of 10,453 people have recovered from the disease so far in Turkey.

On Saturday, the interior ministry extended a ban on entering and leaving 31 provinces for 15 days. These provinces, including Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, are on a weekend lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Last week, the Turkish parliament approved a law allowing for the release of tens of thousands of prisoners as a safety measure against the outbreak. Some countries have released prisoners to limit the spread of the virus through crowded jails.

Rights groups have criticised the new ruling for failing to include detainees charged under controversial counterterrorism laws, including journalists, politicians and lawyers in pretrial detention. Many are behind bars following Turkey’s crackdown in response to a failed 2016 coup.

Iran, which until now had suffered the worst outbreak in the Middle East, has temporarily released 100,000 prisoners, including the British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

On Saturday, the government in Tehran announced an easing of its lockdown measures with some businesses allowed to reopen in the capital and nearby cities.

Iran’s leaders have said they have to consider the economic toll of the quarantine measures as the country struggles under strict sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Gyms, restaurants, shopping malls and Tehran’s grand bazaar will remain closed. Shrines and mosques are also shut, and a ban on public gatherings remains in place.

Iran was slow to respond to the virus outbreak, imposing lockdown measures only after several other countries in the region with fewer cases told businesses to close.

There are 80,868 confirmed cases in Iran and 5,031 people have died from the virus, although a report released by the Iranian parliament on April 14 suggested that the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic was probably nearly double the officially reported figures, because of undercounting and a lack of testing.

The report, which was written by nonpartisan experts within the country, said health ministry death toll figures counted only those who died in hospitals and discounted people who had died in their homes.

The number of people infected is probably “eight to 10 times” higher than the reported figures, the report said.

If correct, the report’s worst-case figures would put Iran’s death toll potential as more than 8,500, with about 760,000 total cases. That would catapult Iran to the country with the highest number of infections in the world.

More than 160,000 people have now died during the pandemic, with 2.3 million people confirmed to have contracted the virus. More than 595,000 have recovered worldwide.