Turkey may become new coronavirus hotspot, economy in bad position

Turkey is on shaky ground and its currency depreciating as controversial monetary moves and fast-rising coronavirus cases threaten to negatively impact an already fragile economy.

Turkey began registering more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases per day after April 4 and has reported more than 4,000 per day since April 8, a sudden surge that’s alarmed health experts.

The country confirmed its first case on March 11 after insisting it had no cases for more than two months as the virus spread in its neighboring countries.

Cases are now at more than 65,000, the ninth-highest globally, with at least 1,400 deaths.

But after nearly two years of a weakening currency, high debt, dwindling foreign reserves and growing unemployment, Turkey is in a particularly bad place to weather a pandemic, experts say.