Turkey to ease coronavirus restrictions

Turkey is to begin easing containment measures set in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic by lifting restrictions on inter-city travel and a curfew on senior citizens and the youth, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday.

The Republic is to ease the measures in a gradual process starting this month and continuing throughout the months of June and July, following the significant decline in cases spread over the past two weeks.

Having confirmed its first case in mid-March, Turkey is now one of the countries hit hardest by the respiratory virus which originated in China. As of today, Turkey has had almost 130,000 cases and almost 3,500 deaths.

Authorities began implementing strict preventative measures even before the first confirmed case, but those have increased steadily over the months, with travel restrictions imposed in and between 31 major cities, a partial lockdown enforced, and the shutting down of schools, restaurants, cafes and even places of worship.

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Erdogan made the announcement after a cabinet meeting, saying that young and senior citizens will be allowed to venture outside for one day per week starting from next weekend, and that the restrictions in travel will be lifted in seven major cities such as the capital Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir.

The restrictions will also be eased for the provinces of Hatay, Aydin, Erzurum, Malatya, Mersin, Antalya and Mugla – all in the south and east of the country – but will remain imposed on 24 other provinces.

The easing of restrictions includes the re-opening of facilities and services such as barber shops, shopping malls, and essential stores which will all be able to open from 11 May. Universities will also re-open on 15 June, as per their academic calendar.

In an address to the nation, Erdogan stated: “We will implement this normalisation plan dynamically. Some dates may be brought forward or pushed back depending on developments.” He made it clear that the process will be a gradual one, and that “We will, as all 83 million people, determine when and how we will return to our lives. If measures are not followed and the outbreak spreads once again, we will have to take much harsher measures.”

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