Turkey: Face masks made mandatory in 10 more cities

By Ali Korkmaz

IZMIR (AA) - Turkey in 10 more provinces on Thursday made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public.

Authorities announced the imposed requirement in Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Denizli, Duzce, Kastamonu, Mugla, and Usak.

In the period of “controlled social life”, wearing masks will be particularly important in bazaars, markets, shopping malls, public transport, taxis, and hairdressers, authorities said.

In addition to these 10 cities, people without a face mask will also not be allowed to enter crowded streets and markets in Gaziantep, Izmir, and Adana.

The overall count of coronavirus cases in Turkey reached 143,114 on Wednesday.

A majority of patients -- 101,715 -- have recovered, while 3,952 have died so far, according to official data.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the pandemic was “under control” in Turkey.

“We have been in a steady recovery since week five of the outbreak. Under current conditions, the pandemic is under control,” he also said.

The pandemic has killed over 297,500 people worldwide with more than 4.36 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.56 million.

* Writing by Dilara Hamit in Ankara