Turkey to fine those not wearing face masks

People who fail to wear protective face masks in Turkey will be fined 900 Turkish Liras (around $130) starting Monday, June 22.

This is in line with a directive the country’s Interior Ministry sent to the governors’ offices in all provinces.

Presently, 48 of Turkey’s 81 provinces have made it mandatory for their residents to wear face masks when they are outside of their homes, while in 33 provinces people are required to have their masks on in public places such as shopping centers, supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, barbershops and hair salons.

In the directive dated June 18, the ministry asked local authorities across the country to warn people without masks until June 22 and then start to fine the violators. Law enforcement officers during their four-day inspections informed and warned the public about face masks. The violators in any province are now to be fined 900 liras for not wearing masks.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases continued to decline, with Istanbul and Ankara recording the lowest confirmed cases for the past week, said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on June 21.