Turkey to start easing coronavirus measures from May, 11

Turkey will start easing coronavirus containment measures from Monday, May 11, President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.

Erdoğan said intercity travel restriction in seven provinces will be lifted and easing a curfew imposed for senior and youth citizens at the weekend after weeks.

Ankara has rolled out measures to contain the outbreak, but Erdoğan said Turkey would start easing them in May, June and July as the spreading pace begun slowing over the past two weeks.

Erdoğan said senior and youth citizens will be allowed outside for 4 hours for one day a week starting this weekend and that travel restrictions would be lifted for seven cities, excluding Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

He said shopping malls, barber shops and some stores will be allowed to open on May 11 as long as they abide by normalization rules, adding that universities would return to their academic calendar as of June 15.
He warned that the government would impose much harsher measures if the normalization plan is not followed.