Turkey's coronavirus death toll rises by 93 to 3,174

The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Turkey has risen by 93 in the last 24 hours to 3,174, with 2,615 new cases of the virus, Health Ministry data showed on Thursday.

The total number of cases rose to 120,204, the data showed, the highest total outside Western Europe or the United States.

A total of 48,886 people have so far recovered from the new coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19. The number of tests conducted in the past 24 hours stood at 42,004, raising the total number of tests since during the outbreak to just over 1 million.

People wearing a facemask for protective measures wait to cross the street as the spread of the COVID-19, the novel coronavirus continues in Ankara. (AFP)

Turkey has taken a series of measures to prevent the spread of the virus including shutting schools, restaurants and other public spaces.

There are also all-day weekend curfews in 31 cities including Ankara and Istanbul, with a three-day lockdown set to begin Friday, a public holiday.

Turkish officials in recent days have sounded a note of optimism that the situation will improve towards the end of May as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan also ends.

"In the coming period, we can ease the measures in cities where there are less cases," Koca said in Ankara.

The government has also stepped up the number of tests with nearly a million undertaken since the first recorded case in March.

Read more:

Libya's Tripoli-based government rejects Haftar's truce

Coronavirus: India exports 50 mln hydroxychloroquine tablets to US says source

Around 100 Rohingya refugees died at sea, hundreds more left to starve, warns MSF