Turkey will tighten its lockdown measures against the coronavirus disease on Friday, restricting commercial activity to sales of staple foods and personal hygiene products, the country's interior ministry said on Tuesday
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2021) Turkey will tighten its lockdown measures against the coronavirus disease on Friday, restricting commercial activity to sales of staple foods and personal hygiene products, the country's interior ministry said on Tuesday.
In late April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced imposing a total lockdown in the country from April 29 to May 17 against a rising number of cases. All organizations and institutions were ordered to stop their activity, except for those singled out by the interior ministry.
"In order to prevent gatherings of people during the lockdown, we have decided to allow sales of only staple foods, hygiene products, animal food and cosmetic products (except for perfume and make-up), including at chain stores, starting May 7," the ministry said in an instruction letter.
The ministry added that the earlier ban on alcohol sales would be expanded to electronic gadgets, toys, clothes, car accessories, dinnerware and gardening equipment.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Turkey has been growing steadily since the beginning of spring and has climbed to a total of 4.9 million cases as of now.
The deteriorating health situation prompted the Turkish government to start imposing partial lockdowns in mid-April, when Ramadan began in the country. On April 26, a three-day lockdown ended, which was introduced due to national sovereignty and children's day being public holidays.
