ANKARA- Offering 12 suggestions for the measures to be taken against coronavirus, HDP stated that the society in Turkey are almost abondened to their fate and left alone with the virus thread. HDP also stated Turkey is not transperent regarding the sharing of information.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Health and Social Policies Commission published a written statement on the measures to be taken for the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). In the statement it was noted that as more than 30 thousand people worldwide are infected, the updated number of the people who lost their lives increased to 108 in Turkey. It is stated as follows: "The slowness in the test process will cause many coronavirus carriers remain not identified, therefore the necessary isolation measures will not able to be taken properly. So the epidemic will affect the society more and the mortality rates will increase".

'TURKEY DOES NOT SHARE THE DATA'

Noting that many countries around the globe provide information on the number of epidemic cases and their regional distribution, the Turkish government does not share the information, HDP statement continues as follows:

“Countries such as South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, which act transparently in the outbreak management and which identify the cities and neighborhoods where the epidemic is concentrated and apply more tests and isolation measures in these regions have been successful in preventing the epidemic. If both health organizations in Turkey, democratic mass organizations as well as individual citizens have no idea about the regional distribution of the cases, therefore they are not alarmed accordingly to take the necessary measures"

'COMMUNITY IS LEFT TO THEIR FATE'

 “We learn from the Minister of Health that there is a lack of respiratory equipment, there is a need for medical personnel support, there is not enough protective equipment such as masks and gloves in hospitals. Diagnostic tests, which are reported to be distributed to the hospitals, are still not available in many points. Workers and laborers who are obliged to work while the state is making a 'stay home' call. The working paople are necessarily in contact with the society who are staying at home. Undetected and mild cases continue to spread the virus to the other at-risk community segment. The real distribution of the disease in the society is unknown, since the diagnostic test is not disseminated and the population is not screened. The statement of the Minister of Health, which says, “Everyone should declare their state of emergency” shows only a part of the truth. It also reveals that society has been left to their own fate and abondened alone with the virus thread"

The statement emphasized that “the taxes paid by citizens in this difficult period should be used for their health” and the measures to be taken are suggested as follows:

“* Rapid diagnostic tests should be provided immediately and distributed to all health institutions across the country. If necessary, mobile centers should be created and community segments that might be affected by the epidemic should be screened.

* Strict quarantine measures should be taken in areas where the pandemic is concentrated and these areas should be supported with additional healthcare personnel and medical equipment.

* The Turkish Medical Association, labor-professional organizations and citizens should be informed about the distribution of pandemic throughout the country. In particular, citizens should be informed about their personal precautions in their mother tongue, multilingual publications should be made for public health, and written and visual materials should be prepared. In addition, it should be ensured that the travels to the regions where the pandemic is concentrated should be minimized, and if necessary, public transport vehicles should be limited by limiting their carrying capacity.

* Non-essential production activities should be stopped, community mobility should be minimized, public workers and workers should be given paid leave and self-employed should be encouraged to stay at home with economic incentives.

* Considering the need for intensive care units, quarantine hospitals should be implemented, and new COVID-19 patients should be tracked closely in isolation hospitals, and the risk of contamination while receiving healthcare should be prevented.

* Health services should be provided to the public free of charge, by all public and private health institutions.

* If there is a COVID 19 patient follow-up at home, close tracking and collection of information should be made accordingly, whether the household has suitable conditions for shelter and isolation, and economic support and isolation conditions should be provided to those in need.

* Health workers who were dismissed with a Statuory Decree Law should be immediately returned to their jobs, and experienced and qualified labor force should be ensured to fight against the epidemic.

* All necessary personal protective equipment (mask, goggles, gloves and gowns) should be provided in sufficient quantity for the health of the healthcare  workers.

* Healthcare workers are the most affected community segment by the pandemic. Working conditions should be arranged in such a way as to allow them to rest, and rehabilitate their concerns about themselves and their families.

* Prisons are not suitable places for prisoners to live a healthy life even in ordinary conditions. In the event of infection, the pandemic will spread rapidly and deaths will be observed in high numbers given the weakness of the prisoners' immune systems and the physical conditions of the prisons. For these reasons, the judicial package on the agenda needs to be put on pratice as soon as possible to ensure that all prisoners are released from prison.

* Even if we stay at home during this period, it is a human duty to create networks that will provide social solidarity, to provide social and public support, especially food and cleaning materials, to the citizens in need, of course taking the necessary precautions in our apartment and neighborhood."