Health minister says football fans’ celebrations ‘worrying’

ANKARA

Celebrations held by fans of football clubs in the wake of the end of league games are “worrying,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on July 22.

“Watching games from large screens set up in open-air by crowds similar to the audiences inside stadiums facilitates transmission and increases the rate of disease spread,” he said in a written statement released after a meeting with the ministry’s coronavirus advisory Science Board via teleconference. 

At the meeting, developments that may cause the number of new patients, which is below 1,000 daily now, to go up again were discussed, he said. 

The minister urged the public to maintain social distancing rules during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
 
“Especially, those over 65 years and those with chronic diseases should exchange greetings over the phone. There should be no handshakes or hugs,” Koca said. 

The minister warned against holding big gatherings or crowded meals on Eid. He added that Eid prayers should be performed in open spaces in accordance with social distancing rules. He also called for special attention to maintaining hygiene during the slaughter of sacrificial animals and the distribution of meat.  
   
In Turkey, Eida al-Adha will be celebrated from July 31 to Aug. 3.