As a major Islamic holiday begins Saturday, concerns are high that the coronavirus pandemic, which seemingly lost its impact on the public, might make a comeback. Qurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha) is an occasion where millions visit each other, travel to vacation resort towns and spend more time in close quarters as they visit relatives and family members.

Professor Sema Kultufan Turan, a member of the Health Ministry’s Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, said that people should be more careful about social distancing while exchanging Bayram greetings. "Like we did in the previous holidays during the pandemic, we should pay attention to mask and social distancing rules," she warned.

Turkey has been affected by the pandemic since 2020 and it only lost steam this spring, with the number of daily cases dropping to the lowest levels. In response to the recession, the government has lifted a mask mandate as well as other restrictions. Though it is no longer a major public health threat, holidays marked with nationwide travel activity have increased the number of cases in the past two years.

Turan’s warning comes as there has been a rise in daily cases in the past few weeks. The pandemic is not deadlier than it was last winter and last year but the cases prevail. Experts fear a dramatic surge if people abandon personal protective measures. Turan told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday that the virus was highly infectious due to new variants lingering in other countries, noting that people not heeding personal measures may have contributed to this. "We don’t have many hospitalizations or people in need of intensive care but we have seen the number of cases requiring hospitalization increased a few weeks within the surge in the past," she said.

The risk is higher for older people and those with chronic illnesses, while otherwise healthy people mostly show mild symptoms if fully vaccinated. However, Turan warns that though these people had mild symptoms, they may contribute to the cycle of infections. "Even if the masks are not mandatory anymore, I recommend people to wear masks in indoor venues, in mass transit," she said. In addition, those with mild symptoms should act "to protect the others," don the mask and adhere to social distancing. "People may think they are not really infected when they suffer from throat ache or a slight case of fatigue or fever, but it is highly probable that you are infected with coronavirus," she said.

Turan singled out visits to the older people on the occasion of Bayram as one of the biggest risks that might trigger a new surge in the pandemic. Traditionally, younger people visit older relatives and kiss their hands as a sign of respect during Qurban Bayram. "We must avoid much contact while exchanging greetings," she emphasized.