As Turkey transitioned to the "controlled social life" phase in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, many people seemingly disregarded the fact that they should still stay home unless there is a valid reason to go outside. One of the members of the Coronavirus Science Board, professor Ahmet Demircan, harshly criticized the slacking off, saying that the queues forming at the doorstep of malls seemed "incredible."

"We have seen so far that the virus has infected way less than it could have when people stayed home. There should be no reason to flock to the malls unless there is a valid reason. The queues are incredible. If we totally need to buy something from the mall, we should only go to that store and immediately leave the mall afterward," he warned Thursday.

"Never go out without a mask, never lower it on your face," Demircan said, underlining that the mask should be worn properly.

"We should completely abide by the rules of hygiene and social distancing, especially at the places that are currently allowed to operate, such as hairdressers and malls," he said.

"The less movement, the less number of infections," the professor emphasized.

Shopping malls, barbershops and beauty salons across Turkey resumed business after nearly two months on Monday as the country gradually eases restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The strict rules didn’t seem to discourage citizens from rushing to have their nails done or visit their favorite mall as long lines outside shopping malls were reported across the country, while beauty salons said they were booked out for at least a few days.

Security guards and mall personnel struggled to keep customers wanting to go in from getting dangerously close to each other while trying to accommodate those waiting in line.