Turkey to impose three-day lockdown in 31 provinces

ANKARA

Turkey will impose a three-day lockdown between May 1 and May 3 on 31 provinces as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting on April 27, Erdoğan said that the three-day lockdown in 31 cities will start on May 1 holiday.

The president said that on May 1, people will be allowed to go to the nearest markets and grocery stores from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The curfews in 31 cities where most of Turkey's population lives, meant to fight the virus, will likely continue through the end of Eid al-Fitr holiday, he added. He said a schedule for returning to normal would be announced soon.

"By overcoming COVID-19, Turkey hopes to have a double feast at the end of Ramadan," Erdoğan said.

Turkey is now starting to get concrete results from its fight against the pandemic, he stressed. 

The number of new patients and the death toll fall every day, he said, adding that seeing more recoveries from the virus than new cases is an important turning point.

For the holy month of Ramadan, Turkey is also evacuating 25,000 Turkish nationals from dozens of countries worldwide, adding to some 40,00 already brought back who were stuck due to the virus, he said. 

Turkey to send virus gear to US

Erdoğan also said that Turkey will send medical gear including protective suits and masks to the United States on Tuesday to help its efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

"At a time when even developed countries are asking for Turkey's support, we have offered our support to a wide geography, from the Balkans to Africa," he said.

"Most recently, we are sending medical aid to the United States on [April 28], consisting of surgical masks, N95 masks, hazmat suits and disinfectants," Erdogan said, adding that the shipment would be delivered via a Turkish military plane.

Turkey starting to emerge from COVID-19 crisis

In a Twitter post after his speech, Erdoğan said that Turkey is beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"Turkey is leaving behind this troubled period through its motivation, where it looks to the future more confidently and full of hope," he said in a tweet.

Even if the number of tests for the coronavirus has reached 1 million, the number of new cases and the death toll fall every day, he said.

He noted that seeing more recoveries from the virus than new cases is an important turning point.

Turkey has provided material support to 55 countries to combat the pandemic, while 22.3 billion Turkish liras ($3.19 billion) have been set aside to meet the basic needs of 4 million Turkish citizens.

Support in cash was also given to 4.4 million households in Turkey.

Also due to the pandemic, Erdoğan said courthouse procedures for cases, enforcement, complaints, objections and notifications have again been postponed, this time until June 15.