Turkey introduces curbs on smoking amid rise in virus cases

ANKARA

Turkey has imposed restrictions on smoking in certain outdoor public venues as the number of COVID-19 patients in the country has topped 400,000.

Smoking is no longer allowed on crowded streets, squares and other public areas, including stops for public transport vehicles, according to a circular by the Interior Ministry issued on Nov. 11.

It has been observed that people have not been sincerely following the rules to use face masks properly and often remove them in public venues such as streets, avenues and parks in order to smoke, the ministry said in the statement, stressing that COVID-19 can easily transmit through respirations.

The circular also included new measures against the novel coronavirus pandemic, including a stay-at-home order for people over 65 years old between 10 a.m. and 4.00 p.m.

The governors will decide about the restrictions on the movement of elderly people de-pending on the pace of the spread of the outbreak in their respective provinces, the Interior Ministry said.

Turkey’s largest city by population, Istanbul, and its capital, Ankara, had already introduced stay-at-home orders for elderly people, and a number of provinces followed suit yesterday in the wake of the ministry’s circular.