People wearing masks to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, walk, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
In this Friday, May 15, 2020, file photo, a team of Turkey's Health Ministry's coronavirus contact tracing team, clad in white protective gear, masks and face shields are briefed in Istanbul. When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. The official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record numbers in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)
In this Monday, March 30, 2020, file photo, officials wearing protective face masks and suits as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus carry the coffin of a victim, who died of COVID-19 onto a hearse truck, at a morgue in Istanbul. When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. The official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record numbers in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)
In this Friday, May 29, 2020, file photo, a woman takes pictures as worshippers wearing face masks and observing social distancing guidelines to protect against coronavirus, attend Friday prayers, outside Fatih mosque, in Istanbul. When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. The official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record numbers in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)
People wearing masks to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, walk, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
In this Friday, May 29, 2020, file photo, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wearing a mask for protection against the coronavirus, arrives to inaugurate a new hospital in Istanbul. When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. The official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record numbers in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit.(Can Erok/DHA via AP, File)
A teenager wearing a mask to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, looks at an open air photo exhibition, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Women wearing masks to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, take a selfie, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Erdogan has announced the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)
A woman wearing a mask to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, tries to communicate with Efe, a cat living in Kugulu public garden, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Erdogan has announced the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)
Women wearing masks to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, rest in a public garden, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s president on Monday announced the country's most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and putting a full lockdown in place over the weekends.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a curfew would be implemented on weekdays between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am. He also announced total weekend lockdowns from 9:00 pm on Friday to 5:00 am on Monday.
With strong pressure from the medical community and the public, Turkey last week resumed reporting all positive tests for the virus, after releasing only the number of symptomatic cases for four months. That caused daily cases to shoot up to around 30,000 and put Turkey among the hardest-hit nations in Europe during the pandemic.
Health Ministry statistics on Monday showed 31,219 confirmed new infections and 188 new deaths. Daily fatalities in Turkey have hit record numbers for eight consecutive days, bringing the country's acknowledged virus death toll to 13,746.
The new curfews begin Tuesday. Sectors including production, logistics, health care, agriculture and forestry would be exempt from the curfews, while grocery stores and food delivery services would be allowed to operate within certain hours during the weekend lockdowns.
In the spring, Turkey instituted temporary weekend and holiday lockdowns to fight the spread of COVID-19, but current infections and deaths have surged beyond the spring numbers. Weekend night curfews for the past two weeks have done little to curb people’s movements, with Turkish media showing packed public spaces.
The Turkish Medical Association, which has been critical of the government’s policies and has called for more transparency since March, said 20 health care workers died in one week from COVID-19 complications. ICU bed occupation was around 71%, according to the health ministry.
Erdogan also announced that people above 65 or younger than 20, who are allowed out for only three hours a day, would not be allowed to use public transport, mall-goers would have to use a contact tracing code, and weddings and funerals would be limited to 30 people. Provincial health authorities would be able to mandate limits on the number of people in malls, bazaars and public spaces like avenues and squares.
Erdogan also urged people to quit smoking, open their windows, abide by mask-wearing guidelines and social distancing.
Preschools, Turkish baths, saunas, massage parlors, swimming pools and amusement parks were ordered to close. Restaurants would only be able to deliver food, annulling a previous measure that also allowed takeout services.
The president also promised that 50 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine would be administered free of charge, starting with health care workers next month, following an agreement with the Chinese pharmaceutical company SinoVac.
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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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