Nearly 36,000 people violate curfews

ANKARA

Officials have taken action against a total of 35,544 people that violated weeknight curfews and weekend lockdowns in Turkey between Jan. 4 and Jan. 11, the country’s Interior Ministry has said.

Curfews are in effect across 81 provinces from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. while the lockdown lasts from 9 p.m. on Fridays to 5 a.m. on Mondays.

In the face of a spike in the COVID-19 cases, the government first introduced the full lockdown on Dec. 4 -7, 2020.

Millions of people were under lockdown for the sixth weekend in a row.

Curfews and lockdowns will remain in place until the government’s further notice.

As part of the measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, restaurants and cafes still remain closed. They are only allowed to provide takeaway and delivery services, including on weekends.

Experts are saying the restrictions are paying off and helping bring the virus cases down.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Jan. 8 that there had been a 40 percent drop in the caseload of both Istanbul and the Aegean province of İzmir, as well as a reduction of roughly 60 percent both in the capital Ankara and the northwestern province of Bursa over the past two weeks.