Deaths from complications related to the coronavirus in Turkey have risen to 37, and the total number of reported cases has increased to 1,529, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said late Monday night.

The minister announced that 21,874 citizens had now been tested, adding that all those who died were elderly.

The government has announced a set of fresh measures to slow the spread of the pandemic.

They include closing schools, quarantine procedures for people arriving from abroad and a multi-billion-euro economic package for businesses threatened by the slowdown.

However, many experts deem the measures deficient and say they miss important aspects.

“When we look at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s speech [on the new measures] we do not see any sign of an intensive testing and of plans to shut down the big cities,” Altindis added.

“South Korea was successful [in curving the pandemic] because it tested 20,000 people a day, and China was successful because they shut down the [infected] city of Wuhan.”

According to Health Ministry data, Turkey tested 3,656 people on March 20, 2,953 people on March 21 and only 1,758 people on March 22.

The World Health Organization, WHO, and the Turkish Health Ministry itself have said testing as much as possible is crucial for stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turkish Medical Association (TTB) also urged the government on March 23 to be more transparent regarding the pandemic.

“The cities and towns where cases were confirmed should be announced publicly as well as death and infected people’s gender and age range,” TBB wrote, adding that transparency and informing the public are what the nation needs in days like these.

“Either the government is hiding the real numbers [of cases], or silly things are happening in Turkey. The Turkish government is making propaganda to show that the process is being managed well. They know this situation will have very severe political and economic consequences,” Altindis continued.

Many doctors say the real number of cases is likely far higher than the number officially reported.

One doctor who works in a university hospital told BIRN under condition of anonymity: “What I observe in my hospital and the general situation is that the real numbers are at least two to three times higher than the numbers that the government announced. The COVID-19 pandemic is now out of control.”

Youth and Sports Minister, Mehmet Kasapoglu, said on Monday that 11,000 people have been put in quarantine in student dormitories.

However, since the first case was reported, some 370,000 people have come into the country from abroad.

“All the people who came from abroad must be put in quarantine, but this didn’t happen. They are walking around us in the streets and in hospitals. Only one infected person can spread the virus to hundreds of other people,” the doctor added.

Facing a critical week: