Erdogan puts 31 Turkish cities on lockdown, orders teenagers in quarantine

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced a slew of new constraints, designed to slow down the spread of deadly coronavirus pandemic.

New restrictions include closing the borders of 31 Turkish cities to all vehicles – except those carrying vital supplies – for 15 days.

Wearing face masks in crowded places is mandatory now, Erdogan added. Turkish residents aged over 65 and those with serious medical conditions had already been told to stay at home, and this order is now being extended to people aged under 20. The new measures kick in at midnight on Friday.

The country’s health minister said earlier that the death toll from COVID-19 outbreak had risen by 69 people to 425, while the total number of confirmed cases is close to 21,000. Istanbul has by far the highest number of cases, at over 12,200.

MMP