Turkey is moving toward tighter measures to slow the spread of the country’s coronavirus outbreak and could ban people under 18 and over 60 from leaving their homes in the worst-hit city of İstanbul, an official said Friday, according to Bloomberg.
Turks aged over 65 have been told not to venture out since March 22 as authorities seek to protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. That could now be broadened in the commercial hub and biggest city, where about 60 percent of all COVID-19 cases have been reported, said the official, who asked for anonymity to share the sensitive information.
The official said the new measures could be announced in an Interior Ministry decree.
The number of deaths from coronavirus in Turkey jumped 29 percent to 356 on Thursday, from 277 the day before, according to government data. The number of confirmed cases rose 16 percent to 18,135 from 15,679.
Turkey has suspended flights from abroad, intercity travel has been banned unless officially authorized and schools will remain shut for at least another month, but the country hasn’t seen the strict lockdowns imposed in other parts of the world.
