Turkey registers 41 new deaths, lowest since end of March

Turkey's health ministry says 41 more people have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 4,096. The death rate is the lowest registered since the end of March.

Minister Fahrettin Koca also tweeted Saturday that 1,610 new infections were confirmed, which makes the total number of cases 148,067 in the nation of 82 million people. More than 108,000 people have recovered, according to the statistics.

Fifteen provinces, including Istanbul, are on a four-day lockdown. The country has instituted partial lockdowns to combat the novel coronavirus. People under 20 and above 65 have been stuck at home for weeks though they are now allowed to leave for a few hours on allotted days.

Other easing measures have gone into effect, including the opening of malls, barbershops and hair dressers. The number of provinces under lockdown on weekends and national holidays has dropped from 31 to 15.

Also Saturday, Turkey's Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told private broadcaster NTV he hoped for domestic tourism to begin after May 28 if COVID-19 statistics continue on a downward trend.