Turkey: Nationwide weekend curfew starts to fight virus

By Baris Gundogan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey began a nationwide weekend curfew on Friday as part of measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19.

The weekend-long curfew began on Friday at 9 p.m. and will end on Monday at 5 a.m.

It is the second such curfew in the wake of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Nov. 30 announcement of new coronavirus restrictions, including both weekend and weeknight curfews.

Some sectors, including production, supply, health, and agriculture, are exempt from the curfews.

Over the weekend, supermarkets, grocery stores, butchers, and dried fruit shops can open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bakeries can also open during the weekend curfew.

Meanwhile, on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 12 midnight, restaurants can offer delivery service only.

On Friday, Turkey reported 32,106 more COVID-19 infections, including 5,607 symptomatic patients, and saw 226 more deaths over the past 24 hours.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan