COVID-19 in Turkey: 'For God’s sake, don’t go out,' says İstanbul Governor

* Photo: Fatih Çağlar Demirbaş - İstanbul / AA

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İstanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya addressed the reporters in a groundbreaking ceremony for a district security directorate today (September 3).

Attending the ceremony held for the directorate to be built on a Nation's Garden in Zeytinburnu, Yerlikaya has indicated that according to address-based census, the population of İstanbul is 15 million 571 thousand and there are 122 police stations in 629 neighborhoods of 39 districts. 

Governor Yerlikaya has said that they are making efforts to increase this number of police departments in the city:

"We set a goal of 152-155 so that there will be one police station per 100 thousand people. We opened our six police stations, our 22 police stations are still in construction, our three police stations are in tendering process and land allocation works are still ongoing for five. When these are all completed, we will reach the level of 152-155 by the spring months of 2021."

COVID-19 measures

Further in his speech, Ali Yerlikaya has also referred to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) measures amid increasing numbers of cases and fatalities.

Noting that people should be particularly careful in the autumn, he also underlined the importance of hygiene, mask and distance rules.

"If we wear the mask by the rules and keep our distance, the risk of catching the virus by breathing falls by 90 percent," he has warned.

Calling on the ones who contacted positive cases to be patient, Yerlikaya has concluded his speech in following words:

"There are contact tracing working groups. Our sub-governor's offices in 39 districts are working to protect our brothers and sisters there, they are trying to ensure that they do not go out.

"When they do not go out, we stand by them thanks to the legendary works of our social support groups. Newspaper, water, bread... We bring them whatever they want. We help them even when they do not have the means.

"As the governor of this city, I want you to do something: For God's sake, don't go out. What else can I say? We feel embarrassed when we have to take administrative action.

"If our brothers and sisters who know that they are positive do not think of themselves, is there a bigger rightful due than this? How will you ask for blessings from the city? We both take an administrative action and file a criminal complaint at the prosecutor's office."

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(AS/SD)