Turkey imposes 4-day curfew in 15 provinces amid pandemic

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Turkey has imposed a four-day curfew in 15 provinces beginning on May 15 midnight in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus that has claimed 4,055 lives in the country.

Although the country usually declares curfew at the weekends, the period was extended to four days as May 19 is celebrated as an official holiday in the country.

The curfew got effective in the capital Ankara as well as Balıkesir, Bursa, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, İzmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Sakarya, Samsun, Van and Zonguldak.

According to the Interior Ministry, markets, grocery stores, greengrocers and butchers will be closed on May 16 and 17.

However, they will continue to operate from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time (0700-1300GMT) on May 18-19.

Also, bakeries will remain open during the four-day curfew.

The first curfew was declared on April 11-12 and it was followed by other ones in the past weeks.