Istanbul mulls stricter curfew rules

Nuray Babacan - ANKARA

Authorities are considering stricter rules for Istanbul, the country’s largest city by population, in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 

As part of those new measures, a curfew could be imposed for people younger than 18 years of age and privately-owned vehicles could be banned from traffic. 

Other additional action the authorities consider is expanding the scope of an already-announced curfew for elderly population to cover people aged 60. A countrywide partial curfew was already imposed in March for citizens over the age of 65 and those with chronic diseases.

The planned ban on privately-owned vehicles may be put into practice shortly, probably in the coming couple of days, sources said. When the ban takes effect, the number of buses which are used in inner-city public transportation will be increased to help people commute in the city. 

Sources also noted that some applications by some 100,000 people filed for obtaining permission to travel to other cities have been turned down. 

Intercity travels are currently subject to local authorities’ special permission. Potential travelers need to apply to commissions to obtain approval, which are granted under certain special circumstances. 

Officials said that people widely observe restrictions that were introduced to halt the spread of the virus in the country’s eastern and southeastern provinces. Residents in these parts of Turkey particularly abide by the curfew rules.

The capital Ankara was most successful in terms of heeding the virus-related regulations among the country’s three largest cities.

The new measures to be introduced in Istanbul and İzmir are expected to make sure that more people observe the rules.