ISTANBUL — Nearly two weeks into a 17-day nationwide lockdown, Turkey has seen new daily COVID-19 cases fall by more than half to under 15,000 since tight social distancing measures were imposed in late April. The restrictions, which closed most businesses and kept nonessential workers home, have led to steep declines in new infections, prompting state officials to move forward with a planned easing on May 17.

In a video message marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday the nation would gradually lift the lockdown after the festivities.

"Hopefully, by bringing the pandemic under control, we will take normalization steps in a controlled manner after Eid,” Erdogan said, adding, “Good days are ahead even though we are having a bitter holiday due to the problems caused by the pandemic.”

Turkey’s Interior Ministry is expected to outline new pandemic guidelines in the coming days, though health experts urged caution as the nation faces a slowdown in vaccine distribution that could reverse recent gains in stemming new COVID-19 cases.