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ANKARA, Aug. 1-- Worried about a potential rise in COVID-19 infections, Turkish health officials and doctors urged for increased vigilance during the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, during which millions travel across the country. The Eid is traditionally celebrated with mosque prayers, family gatherings and the sacrifice of animals, as well as visits to the elderly and cemeteries. But authorities and health experts have urged citizens to follow hygiene rules, including avoiding shaking hands, kissing and hugging each other. For nearly two weeks, the reported daily new cases in Turkey have stood between 900 and 1,000. Additional measures have been imposed on marketplaces of sacrificial animals, which will be frequented by tens of thousands of customers during the feast. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also urged the public to strictly follow social distancing rules, wear a mask and obey hygiene measures, amid concerns that social interactions during the holiday can cause a dramatic rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. "The outbreak is continuing, the virus kills and leaves really nasty after-effects in the body, so everyone should remain extra careful during the holiday," Dr. Hamit Ekinci, an emergency specialist from the southeastern town of Diyarbakir, told Xinhua. The doctor, who works in a private clinic, stressed that in his city, the biggest in Turkey's southeast with a population of some 1.8 million, new cases have risen to alarming levels in the past few weeks. The frustrating situation applies to neighbouring provinces as well, he remarked. | 
