Extensive curfew in Turkish cities ends after four days
People in Turkey are allowed to leave their houses again in the capital Istanbul and 30 other cities and provinces after a four-day extensive curfew was lifted at midnight Sunday.
The restrictions, intended to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, were in place since Thursday, a public holiday in Turkey.
On Thursday and Friday shops were still open for half the day but residents had to stay at home completely on weekends, with few exceptions.
For the most part streets remained empty and quiet and people adhered to the rules. The calls of bakers, who were allowed to take out their goods, could be heard in Istanbul.
During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Friday, breaking the fast in groups has been prohibited.
Turkish authorities have been imposing extensive weekend curfews in 31 cities and provinces for three weeks.
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There is also a curfew for people over 65 and those under 20, with exceptions.
Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced on Sunday evening via Twitter that on Saturday 2,357 people had tested positive for the virus and 99 people had died.
In total, Turkey has reported about 110,000 cases of coronavirus and about 2,800 deaths. According to official figures, around 890,000 people have been tested so far. (dpa)
