Turkey to apply 3-day curfew in 31 provinces starting Friday, Erdogan says

  28 April 2020    Read: 1312
 Turkey to apply 3-day curfew in 31 provinces starting Friday, Erdogan says

A three-day curfew will be in effect in 31 Turkish provinces starting Friday, May 1, in the latest measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday following his Cabinet meeting, adding that the government is planning to continue curfews on weekends up until the Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr). Turkey marks Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, the Turkish media reports. 

The move came after the same provinces, including 30 metropolitan provinces and the northern province of Zonguldak, went through a four-day curfew that started on April 23, Thursday – when the country marked the National Sovereignty and Children's Day – and ended April 26, Sunday.

Underlining that Turkey has the best ratio for the number of deaths compared to cases in Europe, Erdoğan said the country has entered a period in which it is achieving concrete results in its fight against the coronavirus outbreak as new COVID-19 patients and related deaths are dropping day by day.

"We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope we can celebrate two bayrams after Ramadan," Erdoğan said, thanking citizens for their cooperation and compliance with measures announced by authorities.

Stressing Turkey's efforts to help countries in need to combat COVID-19, Erdoğan said Turkey is sending medical aid to the U.S. comprised of N95 masks, face shields, protective garments and disinfectant. "Military transport planes carrying these supplies will depart tomorrow," the president said. "We have provided 55 countries with supplies to fight the outbreak," he added. 

"We have brought 40,000 citizens back to Turkey, we are planning to bring back 25,000 more from 59 countries," Erdoğan said.


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