Turkey to enter full lockdown today

Turkey is set to enter a full lockdown until May 17 to curb the spread of the coronavirus that forced the government to introduce stricter measures following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The lockdown, which will come into force this evening at 7 p.m., will cover the remainder of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, as well as three days of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

All businesses will be closed with certain exceptions, such as production facilities, food, hygiene and health-related businesses. Supermarkets will also cease operations on Sundays.

Restaurant and cafes will only offer delivery services while intercity travel will require special permission from authorities.

The government opted for a full lockdown after the daily number of coronavirus cases hit record numbers, hovering at around 60,000.

However, daily infections dropped below 50,000 after April 23.

Residents of Istanbul hit the roads to leave the country’s largest city before the lockdown took effect, causing heavy traffic.

This is not the time for taking a holiday. People should not see the lockdown as an opportunity to go to their summer houses or resorts. This may only increase the number of infections, warned Professor Mustafa Necmi İlhan.

The effects of the partial lockdown, which the government imposed earlier this month, have started to be seen and the impact of the full lockdown will be felt within 14 days, İlhan added.

If people stick to the rules, the number of cases will gradually decline, maybe as low as 5,000, he said.