ANKARA (AFP): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cancelled a weekend curfew introduced to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus over economic worries.
According to details, cafes, restaurants and other public spaces reopened this week, sparking hopes that the curfew would be lifted.
The decision came after Turkey’s interior ministry announced that 15 cities would again be shuttered this weekend. Turkey has been locked down on weekends and public holidays since April.
In this regard, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he had cancelled the curfew after feedback from citizens suggested it would have a negative economic impact.
The Turkish President said, “We were not willing to see our citizens suffer just as they began to return to their usual daily life following a two-and-a-half-month break.”
However, Erdogan urged the people of the country to use masks, practise social distancing and ensure they were following the rules of hygiene.
Turkey has recorded more than 167,000 cases of COVID-19 and 4,630, but the number of daily fatalities has fallen to below 50 in the past couple of weeks.
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