UPDATE - Turkey sees highest daily COVID-19 fatalities

UPDATES WITH HOLIDAY CURFEW; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Burak Bir and Seda Sevencan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's coronavirus fatalities hit a new single-day record on Monday with 229 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data.

Turkey confirmed 29,617 more COVID-19 infections, including 5,064 symptomatic patients.

The total number of cases reached over 1.86 million with the latest additions, the data showed.

At least 28,164 patients recuperated from the disease over the past day, bringing the tally over to 1.63 million, while total fatalities rose to 16,646 with 229 additions.

Across the country, more than 204,289 COVID-19 tests were done, pushing the total to more than 21.28 million.

The number of seriously ill people now stands at 5,980.

Urging the public to follow safety measures, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter: "Let's protect our loved ones by staying away from closed, crowded environments."

He went on to say that positive impact of restrictions will be clearer soon.

-Holiday curfew

Turkey will also have a nationwide curfew spanning the traditional New Year's holiday, from Dec. 31 to early Jan. 4, the president announced separately.

The holiday lockdown will last from 9 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 5 a.m. on Jan. 4, he told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

Since it emerged last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 1.61 million lives in 191 countries and regions.

Over 72.44 million cases have been reported worldwide, with over 47.44 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

While the US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of the number of cases, Europe is in the grip of a devastating second wave of infections.