Turkey extends entry, exit restrictions on 31 provinces

Restrictions have been extended for entry, exit by land, air, sea to 31 provinces for 15 days effective midnight.

An aerial view shows Eyup Sultan Mosque and the surrounding square remain empty due to the restrictions reimposed at midnight in 31 provinces for two days as part of measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Istanbul, Turkey on April 18, 2020.
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An aerial view shows Eyup Sultan Mosque and the surrounding square remain empty due to the restrictions reimposed at midnight in 31 provinces for two days as part of measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Istanbul, Turkey on April 18, 2020.

Turkey on Saturday extended restrictions on entry and exit by land, air and sea on 31 provinces for an additional 15 days to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Interior Ministry announced the measure, effective midnight on the capital Ankara, as well as the provinces of Adana, Antalya, Aydin, Balikesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Tekirdag, Trabzon, Van and Zonguldak.

The ministry reiterated that in order to manage the risk of the Covid-19 pandemic, it would be critical that residents adhere to social isolation rules, reducing mobility and contact with others.

It is essential for all citizens living in these provinces to stay in their cities for the specified period, it underlined.

The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the US and Europe now the hardest-hit areas.

More than 2.28 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll exceeding 156,000 and over 581,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

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