Turks under 14 venture out for four hours as virus rules ease
ANKARA
Turkey’s juniors got their first chance to venture outside on May 13 after weeks of partial curfew, under relaxed coronavirus restrictions.
According to an Interior Ministry circular sent to governor’s offices across Turkey, people aged 14 and under were granted the chance to go outside on May 13 between 11.00 a.m. and 15.00 p.m. local time.
People under 20, who are also subject to a curfew, will be allowed outside for a similar period later this week on May 15 for four hours.
Many children across Turkey grabbed their bikes and roller skates and hit the parks and streets while enjoying the sunny weather.
“As the education went online, the youth and the children carried their daily routines to their homes. Some impacts of being able to go outside might be observed in [people] aged between 0 and 14, who have been attempting to get used to the new living conditions for a while,” psychologist Cansu Güney told state-run Anadolu Agency.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 3 announced the partial curfew for citizens under 20. Erdoğan had set a curfew restricting those younger than 20 from leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary.
As part of a rolling program of reduced controls, they are now allowed out for four hours.
People aged 65 and over were subjected to a stay-at home curfew on March 21. They were also granted permission to go outside on May 10. The relaxed curfew for those over 65 came during the fifth weekend of lockdowns in Turkey’s largest cities.
As the number of new cases dropped, the government announced a “normalization plan” while warning of tougher measures should the number of infections rebound.
Entry and exit restrictions were lifted for nine more provinces where the outbreak has been brought under control. They remain in place for 15 other provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara.
May 11 also saw the opening shopping malls, barber shops and beauty salons under new social distancing restrictions. Domestic and some international flights will resume at the end of May.
After recording its first coronavirus case on March 11, Turkey shut down entertainment venues, sports facilities and imposed travel bans.
However, a widespread curfew has not been put in place to protect the country’s economic output.
