The Minister of Health, Dr Fahrettin Koca made statements to the press members following the Coronavirus Scientific Committee Meeting held at Istanbul Başakşehir Çam ve Sakura Hospital.
In his statements, Koca said, "The Scientific Committee, which started convening on January 10, right after the outbreak in China, is in Istanbul today. Since then, this is the first meeting held outside Ankara. This is not an ordinary occasion. I have announced three days ago that 40% of the cases nationwide was in Istanbul. 4 out of every 10 PCR-positive cases are in Istanbul. Physicians, nurses, ambulance drivers, hospital administrators, Scientific Committee members and all relevant institutions are vigilant. This situation places as much responsibility on you as it does on us."
"Istanbul makes it hard to socially distance"
Minister Koca noted that a crisis was averted in Istanbul in April thanks to the compliance to measures.
Underlining that a similar situation was the case, Koca continued, "What has caused this? Istanbul is the 14th most populous city in the world. It makes it hard to socially distance. The life conditions here are favorable for the virus to spread. A very large population is on the move. Many people returned here for winter. We are vigilant when faced with danger, but we become complacent as soon as the risk is eliminated. This is a recipe for situation that is risking the whole country. We need discipline and determinacy in fighting this pandemic. It is not always easy to get up when we fall. A minor negligence of an individual can have a high price. We may have to pay this price together."
"What I want from you is to reduce movement and contact"
"If one person transmits the disease to approximately 3 persons, then we will reduce movement and contact", said Koca and continued, "If you go to 3 places, you will go to 1. If you see 3 people a day, you will see 1. What I want from you is to reduce movement and contact. If you do this, you will really be fighting this pandemic. If you are out, follow the rules strictly."
Koca also called upon employers and said, "Do your best to make flexible working arrangements. If the conditions allow, work in shifts."
"Each capacity has its limits"
Recalling that all units in health care were working together, Koca added, "Our health care army is organized against the risk. I want you to remember that every capacity has its limits. If we follow the measures, we will not push these limits. Measures do not mean being deprived of life. It means managing life logically. It means reducing movement. It means reducing contact."
Saying that Istanbul's capacity was sufficient, Koca added, "But, this does not mean that it will be the case forever. If the number of cases increases 2 or 3 times, we will have a much different picture. For this reason, we are calling upon our people to strictly follow the measures. This is also not a problem that can only be fixed by the Ministry of Health. We are in close cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and other relevant ministries.
