UPDATE - Turkiye removes face mask requirement indoors

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – Turkiye on Tuesday removed the requirement of wearing face masks in all closed areas, which has been a part of COVID-19 measures in the country.

The face mask rule will still be in force in public transportation vehicles and medical institutions until the daily number of virus-related cases drops below 1,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following a meeting of the Coronavirus Science Board in the capital Ankara.

The pandemic, changing the course of everything in life, has “most importantly tested the management skills of states” as well, he stressed.

Turkiye has handled the pandemic much better than most countries around the world, Erdogan said, stressing that the country has not only tried to treat its people, but also distributed medical aid to some 160 countries and 12 international corporations.

The most important lesson that the country has learned from the deadly virus has been to become “self-sufficient by establishing a strong health infrastructure,” he noted.

He recalled that in other countries, people have had limited access to medical institutions, while Turkiye has added 16,000 new beds to city hospitals, state hospitals, and emergency hospitals during the pandemic.

“We have created our own methods of struggle,” against the virus, he said, adding: “Thanks to the efforts of our scientists, we have achieved a lot together, from (producing) the indigenous respirator, diagnostic kit to the production of medicines and vaccines.”

Turkiye is currently "one of the nine countries in the world that can produce its own vaccine,” he noted.

Almost all European countries have lifted pandemic restrictions as the disease is no longer a massive threat, Erdogan added, saying Turkish authorities believe that Turkiye has also reached this stage.

Turkiye's "scientific board has come to the view that there is no need to hold regular meetings unless there is an extraordinary situation,” he said.

Erdogan also said the board has recommended that "older adults, people with chronic or suspected diseases, and those who have contact with at-risk groups should continue to use masks.”

Reiterating the need to receive Turkiye's TURKOVAC vaccine against COVID-19, Erdogan stressed that particularly people with chronic diseases or the older adults should not skip their booster jabs.

“For this purpose, family health centers and vaccine application centers in public hospitals will continue their activities to meet the needs,” he added.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered over 147.44 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

The country has registered over 14.77 million coronavirus cases so far with a death toll of 97,666.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 6.22 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions.