Turkey’s daily coronavirus deaths have risen to a record 235 in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s total death toll to 16,881, health ministry data showed.

Turkey also recorded 32,102 new COVID-19 cases, including asymptomatic ones, in the last 24 hours.

The government has imposed weekday curfews and weekend lockdowns to curb the surge in cases.

Urging the public to follow safety measures, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter: “Let’s protect our loved ones by staying away from closed, crowded environments”. He went on to say that positive impact of restrictions will be clearer soon.