The head of Turkey's Independent Turkey Party (BTP), Haydar Baş, tested positive for coronavirus on Monday.
Recently, the Sarıtaş neighborhood of northern Trabzon province's Akçaabat district was quarantined due to a large amount of coronavirus cases. Living in the same neighborhood, it is reported that Baş, along with eight other members of his family, tested positive and are receiving treatment at a hospital in Trabzon.
Turkey has imposed restrictions on daily life in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Though an early response to the crisis has stemmed the number of those infected, the country has had mixed success in limiting public mobility, especially on weekends. Given rising temperatures, the weekend curfew declared Friday in over 31 mainly urban provinces came as no surprise for many, despite having been announced only two hours before implementation.
Streets, avenues and main squares across the country have been void of activity this weekend in the wake of the curfew imposed by the Interior Ministry.
Turkey already had a curfew in place for those above the age of 65 and those under 20, yet stopped short of a full lockdown. The government has, until now, relied on the public’s compliance with calls for self-isolation. Authorities have asked people repeatedly to impose their own quarantine or lockdown measures.
Turkey was one of the first countries to take measures against the coronavirus, closing its border with Iran and halting flights from China and Italy. It has since shut down all international arrivals, restricted domestic flights and set up road checkpoints outside cities to prevent unessential travel.
