President Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 28 Turkey will lift restrictions on intercity travel and allow restaurants, cafes, parks and sports facilities to reopen from June 1 as it eases restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
Following a cabinet meeting, he said that restrictions would remain place on the movements of those aged over 65 and under 18.
However, children under age 18 can go out on Wednesdays and Fridays between 2 pm to 8 pm.
As of June 1, civil servants on administrative leave or working remotely will return to their workplaces, Erdoğan said.
Earlier in April, Turkey imposed the country’s first travel ban across 31 provinces to stem the spread of the virus and later lifted it partially.
He went on to say excluding places of entertainment, enterprises such as restaurants, patisseries, cafes, tea gardens, swimming pools, and hot springs will also reopen.
Also, the motorway service area will begin to serve on June 1, he said.
Moreover, beaches, parks, gardens, driving courses, restaurants, archaeological sites, libraries, youth centers and camps, and museums in Turkey will reopen on the same day.
Daycare centers and kindergartens will also reopen starting June, he said.
Meanwhile, restrictions on individual sports have ended, while restrictions on sea tourism, fishing, and transportation were also lifted within the determined rules, Erdoğan added.
He added that during the lockdown the government’s Vefa social support groups reached out to over 6.2 million people by providing them essential services at home.
Turkey, so far, has evacuated 75,000 citizens from 126 different countries amid the coronavirus lockdown, he said.
“Turkey responded to calls for help from 100 out of 135 countries that asked for help against COVID-19,” he said.
Turkey imposes weekend virus curfew in 15 provinces
Meanwhile, Turkey imposed a two-day curfew in 15 provinces beginning midnight on May 29 in an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed nearly 4,500 lives in the country.
The curfew will be in effect in Ankara as well as Istanbul, İzmir, Balıkesir, Bursa, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Sakarya, Samsun, Van and Zonguldak.
Markets, grocery stores, greengrocers, and butchers will continue to operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time (0700GMT -1400GMT) May 30, but will close May 31.
Also, bakeries will remain open during the curfew. The first curfew was declared April 11-12 and was followed by
subsequent ones in recent weeks.
