New COVID-19 restrictions imposed in Turkish capital

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Residents of the Turkish capital Ankara who are 65 years of age or above have been restricted from leaving their homes except for certain hours as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, local officials said on Tuesday.

The elderly are allowed to go outside between 10 a.m. [0700GMT] and 4 p.m. [1300GMT] by keeping social distancing guidelines and wearing masks, according to the provincial governor's office.

An exception has been made for public servants and people of certain professions, such as medical doctors, healthcare workers, pharmacists, elected public officials, social workers, and others.

The business owners, traders, industrialists, farmers, self-employed people, and heads of professional associations have been also exempted from restrictions.

Turkey on Tuesday registered 2,529 new coronavirus patients, pushing the total up to 399,360, according to official data.

Country's recoveries climbed by 2,215 over the past day to reach 342,501, while the death toll in Turkey is now over 11,000.

Across the world, pandemic has claimed more than 1.26 million lives in 190 countries and regions since last December.

The US, India, and Brazil are currently the worst-hit countries.

Over 51.21 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 33.28 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.