The rate of increase is alarming, said Professor Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) in Vienna, said on Twitter on Thursday.

“The next few days will tell if Turkey is following the Western European pattern,” he said.

The number of infections in Turkey rose by 168 to 359 on Thursday and four people have died from the illness, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a late-night statement.

Turkey has intensified steps to curb the spread of the virus this week, administering 1,981 tests on Thursday alone and placing 9,800 people in quarantine. It has cancelled all public events and urged its citizens to stay at home.

Reporter’s code: 50101