Turkey Shuts Bars and Nightclubs, Suspends Flights from 9 Countries over Coronavirus

While the Ministry of Interior has ordered the temporary closure of all bars and nightclubs in all 81 provinces in Turkey as of 10 a.m. today, flights from nine countries have been suspended as of this midnight.

İstanbul

Turkey Shuts Bars and Nightclubs, Suspends Flights from 9 Countries over Coronavirus

* Source and photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Ministry of Interior has sent an additional circular to the governor's offices of 81 provinces regarding coronavirus outbreak.

Accordingly, Turkey will temporarily close bars and nightclubs as of today (March 16) as part of measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

The Ministry of Interior on Sunday ordered the closure of bars and nighclubs across all 81 provinces starting 10 a.m. local time today.

On the other side, a meeting on measures to be taken against the new coronavirus type (Covid-19) was held upon the instruction of President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital city of Ankara yesterday evening.

Chaired by Vice President Fuat Oktay, the meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, as well as through a video conference by Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mehmet Cahit Turhan.

The following four decisions have been announced by the Presidency Directorate of Communications following the meeting:

Flights from 9 countries suspended

"As part of a statement made by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the flights from Germany, Spain, France, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands to our country will be suspended as from March 15 at 24.00.

"Our citizens who have temporarily traveled for a short time to or who have been studying in the aforementioned countries and want to return to our country shall apply to the Turkish diplomatic missions in those countries until Monday, March 16 at 17:00 local time.

"The return process for the applicants to the country will be completed until Tuesday, March 17 at 24.00.

"Our citizens returning to our country in this way will be held in quarantine/observation care for 14 days within the scope of the precautions taken by the Ministry of Health and the Board of Science."

Coronavirus cases around the world

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700, with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

You can see the number of coronavirus cases and death toll by countries in below interactive map shared by Washington University:

How to protect oneself from the new Coronavirus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the protective measures against the new coronavirus (Covid-19) can be briefly listed as follows:

Wash your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

Maintain social distancing

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.

(AÖ/DB/SD)