Coronavirus Watch in Mideast: Turkey's COVID-19 cases surpass 143,000 as Iran's tally exceeds 112,000

Children walk in a park near Kucukcekmece Lake in Istanbul, Turkey, May 13, 2020. (Photo by Yasin Akgul/Xinhua)

--Turkey's COVID-19 cases rise to 143,114;

--Iran's tally of infections hits 112,725;

--Israel's coronavirus patients rise to 16,548;

--Tunisia has reported no new COVID-19 cases for three days in a row.

CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's COVID-19 cases on Wednesday exceeded 143,000, while the tally in Iran crossed 112,000.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, rose to 143,114, while the death toll surged to 3,952 on Wednesday.

Turkey on Wednesday confirmed 1,639 new COVID-19 cases and 58 more deaths in the past 24 hours, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

The minister also said Turkey is getting ready to implement tests for foreign tourists as the country plans to resume its flights for tourism in late May. Turkey would make PCR tests, not rapid tests, for foreign tourists arriving in Turkey, he said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's tourism sector has been planning to resume operations in a controlled way in June under the anti-COVID-19 measures, Culture and Tourism Minister Nuri Ersoy was cited by local media as saying on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, children under 14 years old in Turkey were allowed outside for the first time in 40 days as part of the country's COVID-19 normalization plan.

In Turkey, those who are 20 years old and under have been under lockdown since April 4 as part of the government's measures against the pandemic.

Iran on Wednesday confirmed 1,958 new COVID-19 infection cases, taking the total cases to 112,725.

Women wearing face mask walk at a bazaar in Tehran, Iran, on April 24, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

It registered 50 new deaths over past 24 hours, bringing the total to 6,783 since the disease outbreak in the country in late February.

A total of 89,428 patients have recovered so far in Iran, while 2,735 of them are in critical condition.

The number of coronavirus patients in Israel has risen to 16,548, with 19 new cases, the Israeli Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, four patients have passed away since Tuesday evening, bringing the death toll to 264.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli Ministry of Transport announced that train operations in the country will be partially resumed starting Sunday, May 17.

Israeli medical workers train the new Temi Robot in the Coronavirus Department at Sheba Medical Center Hospital near the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv on May 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)

Israeli researchers have developed a physical coronavirus breath test, providing results within one minute, Ben-Gurion University (BGU) said Wednesday.

This may help conduct tests at entrances of airports, factories and large companies and thus help countries restore their economies to full activity.

Saudi Arabia confirmed 1,905 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 44,830. The death toll of the pandemic rose by nine to 273 in the kingdom.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday announced 725 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 20,386.

The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention also confirmed three more deaths, pushing the country's death toll to 206.

Egypt confirmed on Wednesday 338 new cases and 12 deaths of COVID-19, raising the total infections in the country to 10,431 and death toll to 556.

A man wearing a face mask jogs before curfew in a park in Cairo, Egypt, May 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

The country also saw a record of recovered cases for the second day in a row, as 160 patients were cured from the novel coronavirus and discharged from hospitals on Wednesday, bringing total recoveries to 2,486.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday that the authorities will return more than 16,000 nationals stranded abroad in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Qatari health ministry on Wednesday announced 1,390 new infections of the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 26,539.

Meanwhile, 124 more people have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,143, while the death toll remains at 14.

Kuwait on Wednesday reported 751 new cases of COVID-19 and seven more deaths, raising the tally of infections in the country to 11,028 and the death toll to 82.

The Moroccan Health Ministry on Wednesday announced 94 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 6,512. The ministry said 188 deaths from COVID-19 were reported so far.

Moroccan Finance Ministry on Wednesday said it will distribute stipends to about 4.3 million households to help them cope with the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed 119 new COVID-19 cases, the highest in one day since the register of first case of the disease, bringing the total number of infections to 3,032 in the country.

So far, 115 people have died from the disease in Iraq, while 1,966 have recovered, it added.

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Wednesday by eight cases to 878 while the death toll remained unchanged at 26.

Lebanon will shut the whole country down since Wednesday for the coming four days in an attempt to restrict the spread of the virus after witnessing an increase in infections in the past few days.

Yemen's pro-government health authorities on Wednesday confirmed five new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the war-ravaged country to 70.

A total of 12 patients have so far died from the virus in Yemen, while only one has recovered, the statement said.

A new COVID-19 infection was recorded in Syria on Wednesday, bringing the total number in the country to 48.

Syria has so far recorded 29 recoveries and three deaths from COVID-19.

Tunisia has reported no new COVID-19 cases for three days in a row as of Wednesday. The country has so far confirmed 1,032 coronavirus cases.

Tunisian President Kais Saied decided on Wednesday to reduce the duration of the nationwide curfew imposed to curb the coronavirus spread.