While Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu raises alarm at every opportunity, the exact number of deaths per settlement is not released by the Health Ministry, leaving the severity of the situation in Istanbul in the dark.

Although the mayor's revelations last month forced the ministry's hand to uncover real numbers nationwide, Ankara's precautions against the pandemic are still considered insufficient. 

While the government imposed weekend lockdowns and partial curfews nationwide, professional organizations continue to press for a complete two-week lockdown.

Turkey's Health Ministry reported 235 deaths on Dec. 15, along with 5,105 new diagnoses.