İYİ Party suggests 14-day lockdown ‘instead of lax measures’
ANKARA
Turkey must impose a 14-day full lockdown in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus, the chairwoman of the İYİ (Good) Party has proposed, calling on the government to reveal the actual figures of COVID-19 cases across the country.
“I call on the government. The pandemic seems to be out of control. The situation in Istanbul is particularly a disaster,” Meral Akşener told her parliamentary group on Nov. 18.
The pandemic is not a matter of politics and the government should give an ear to the experts and scientists about this public health matter, she stressed. “Heed advices of the experts before it is too late. Instead of half measures you have taken last night, declare an uninterrupted 14-day curfew without delay.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on late Nov. 17 new measures to curb the pace of the spread of the coronavirus which includes partial weekend curfews, limits for the elderly and minors to go out on weekdays. Restaurants and cafes will also be closed starting from Nov. 20 and can only serve to-go.
Akşener criticized the government for not listening to experts. She said she believes this caused the public to lose trust. “Our people will surely want to know at what point we are [in the fight against the virus]. It’s their right to know. You have to inform our citizens about such a danger in an open and true way. Unfortunately, the figures disseminated every day are no longer convincing.”
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca should also decide on how to proceed in the anti-pandemic struggle in a bid not to cast a shadow on his performance since the COVID-19 outbreak began in Turkey, Akşener said. “Because it is our right to know the truth. You cannot hide the things that directly concern us.”
