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Turkey shuts cinemas, cafes, gyms to halt coronavirus spread, extends flight ban

March 16, 2020 at 7:42 pm

Disinfection works are being carried out by specialists, wearing protective suits, at Beylerbeyi Palace as part of precautions against the coronavirus (COVID-19), on 16 March, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey [Erhan Elaldı/Anadolu Agency]

Turkey will temporarily close cafes, sports, and entertainment venues and is suspending mass prayers in mosques in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus after it identified its first 18 cases in the last week, authorities said on Monday.

Ankara also extended a flight ban to six more countries including Britain and the United Arab Emirates, bringing the total number of countries to 20, the health minister said.

“As of midnight Monday all operations of cafes, cinemas, gyms… will be suspended,” the Interior Ministry said, citing the heightened risk of passing on the virus in “public recreation areas and entertainment venues”.

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Swimming pools, concert and wedding venues, and some restaurants will be closed, the ministry said, and all activities and gatherings of non-governmental organisations will be postponed. It did not say how long the suspension would last.

Separately, Turkey also suspended mass prayers in mosques, the head of Turkey’s religious directorate, Ali Erbas, said, adding that the places of worship would be kept open for individual prayers.

Turkey has identified a total of 18 coronavirus cases, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday, up from six previously, marking the highest daily rise since it announced its first case last week. No deaths have been reported.

Last Wednesday, Turkey became the last major economy to report an outbreak of coronavirus.

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Since then, the government has ramped up measures to halt its spread, closing schools and universities, holding sports events without spectators and halting flights to many countries.

Separately, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said on Monday that all non-emergency court hearings would be delayed.

Bars and nightclubs were closed down as of Monday morning to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading, the ministry said previously.