In Amed (Diyarbakir) more than 1,500 people are infected with the coronavirus. After the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, about 500 people tested positive. Twenty of these people are seriously ill, about 200 are in hospital treatment and over 300 people are in domestic quarantine.

Often social occasions such as funeral ceremonies are the starting point for new infections. Mehmet Şerif Demir, President of the Medical Association in Amed, warns of a further escalation of the coronavirus pandemic. The exact number of cases in Amed is unknown because the Turkish government only publishes data for the whole of Turkey. The medical association can therefore only assess the course of events based on its own observations. Preventive measures were relaxed in Turkey on June 1. "Since then we have observed a new increase in the number of cases. The number of COVID-19 patients in Diyarbakir rose sharply last week and has reached the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic," Demir explained.

According to the president of the medical association, the "normalization" propagated by the government has caused major problems. “People have become careless and is was a false belief that rising will would defeat the virus. When people talk about normalisation, they assume that everything is back to normal now. We observe that no distance is observed and no masks are worn. As a result, the number of cases has increased. However, the risk still exists. We therefore strongly advise people to wear masks, keep their distance and follow the rules of hygiene,” Demir said.

According to official figures, 4,669 people have died of COVID-19 in Turkey as of Saturday night.