Turkiye ends outdoor mask requirement

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) – As the coronavirus seems to be receding, Turkiye has lifted its requirement to wear a mask outdoors, a longtime requirement to stem the spread of COVID-19, the country's health minister said Wednesday.

"We no longer have to wear masks outdoors," Fahrettin Koca told reporters following a meeting of the country’s committee on the fight against the virus.

Koca also said that if ventilation is sufficient in closed environments and social distancing rules can be followed, it is "no longer necessary" to wear a mask indoors either.

But he added: "We are not removing masks from our lives, we carry them with us to wear when necessary.”

In another change, the use of HES codes – Turkiye’s coronavirus contact tracing system – has been lifted, and the public will no longer have to show their code at the entrance to any building or event, said Koca.

Turkiye, along with many nations worldwide, has been gradually relaxing pandemic controls as case numbers of the virus fall, along with hospitalizations and death, and a larger portion of the population is vaccinated.