Ministry Imposes Last-Minute Curfew for Weekend, People Queue Up in Front of Groceries

People queue up in front of a grocery shop in Kurtuluş, İstanbul. (Photos: Volga Kuşçuoğlu, Ayşegül Özbek / bianet)

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The Interior Ministry has imposed a curfew for 31 cities, including İstanbul, for the weekend. The ban will start at 12 a.m. on Saturday and end at 12 a.m. on Monday.

As the curfew was announced just hours before the weekend, people flocked to the streets and queued up in front of grocery shops to buy their needs.

İstanbul, the largest and the most affected city from the pandemic, and Ankara, the capital, are included in the curfew, along with 29 other cities that have a higher population. The ministry previously restricted the entrance to those cities.

Bakeries, hospitals, pharmacies and workplaces producing health products and medical supplies would continue to operate, a circular by the ministry said. The curfew would not be applicable for people who will be carrying out burial procedures for their first-degree-relatives and those who have an appointment for blood and plasma donation for the Turkish Red Crescent, it added.

Altough the government has been advising the people to stay at home, it has not imposed such an inclusive restriction on going out before. Currently, there is a curfew in place for people older than 65 and people younger than 20 and not employed. 

Temperatures are expected to rise to as high as 17 Celsius degrees on the weekend, which could have led more people to go out.

The following cities are included in the curfew: Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon, Van and Zonguldak.

Here are some posts on social media on tonight from various parts of the country:

Alın size yasak güzelce sosyal mesafe örnek ülke türkiye #SOKAĞACIKMAYASAĞI #coronaturkiye #SokagaCikmaYasagi pic.twitter.com/NgnH28ivBA

— Mehmet can (@fifa2060) April 10, 2020

#SOKAĞACIKMAYASAĞI haberinin ardından marketlerin ve fırınların önünde oluşan görüntüler. pic.twitter.com/iSgg5D2u8H

— burak albayrak (@ulanburki) April 10, 2020

Yer: Ankara/ Sincan #SokagaCikmaYasagi pic.twitter.com/22tQO0xVgI

— n (@shesstranger) April 10, 2020

Gaziantep..#SOKAĞACIKMAYASAĞI pic.twitter.com/aHACzaGLsz

— Berkay (@Berkay19500227) April 10, 2020

Böyle baskın sokağa çıkma yasağı konur mu?
Vatandaş ekmek, su kuyruğunda... pic.twitter.com/VtOfV1baJg

— Garo Paylan - Կարօ Փայլան (@GaroPaylan) April 10, 2020

Şu ana kadar koronavirüs salgınına yakalanmayan herkes an itibariyle yakalanır. Herkes maskesiz, eldivensiz sokakta, bakkalda. Bu halka daha büyük kötülük yapılmazdı! Bu #SokağaÇıkmaYasağı değil, sokağa çık talimatıdır! pic.twitter.com/OQeWRpUYNP

— Ahmet Saymadi (@ahmetsaymadi) April 10, 2020

Kasımpaşa an itibariyle yarın bin vaka duyarsınız ya bu nasıl bir yanlış hareket #SokagaCikmaYasagi #SOKAĞACIKMAYASAĞI pic.twitter.com/56LgEV1koE

— abidik gubidik (@abidikooo) April 10, 2020

Alın size yasak güzelce sosyal mesafe örnek ülke türkiye #SOKAĞACIKMAYASAĞI #coronaturkiye #SokagaCikmaYasagi pic.twitter.com/NgnH28ivBA

— Mehmet can (@fifa2060) April 10, 2020

Hükümet vatandaşı ters köşe yapamaz! Sokağa çıkma yasağının erken bir saatte ve vatandaşların temel ihtiyaçlarını sağlayabilecekleri makul bir süre verilerek ilan edilmesi gerekirdi. 15 günde bulaşmayan korona bu gece bulaştı sayenizde. #SOKAĞACIKMAYASAĞI pic.twitter.com/XJZu7pNVu9

— Murat Emir (@muratemirchp) April 10, 2020

(EKN/VK)