Coronavirus: much of Turkey placed under two-day lockdown

Two-day curfew across major population centres follows sharp rise in infections

Taksim square in Istanbul is almost deserted on April 11, 2020 amid a 48-hour lockdown imposed the government to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections. AFP

Istanbul, Ankara and other major Turkish cities have been locked down for 48 hours until midnight on Sunday after the health ministry reported an increase of nearly 5,000 Covid-19 cases on Friday and the death toll from the coronavirus passed 1,000.

The restrictions were imposed in 31 areas across the country and scaled up existing curbs, under which people under the age of 20 and over 65 have been told to stay at home.

Ankara has also halted all international flights, restricted domestic travel, closed schools, bars and cafes, and suspended mass prayers. But people have still been going to work to sustain economic activity.

"We urge all citizens who live in these 31 provinces to comply with this weekend's lockdown without panicking," the country's communications director Fahrettin Altun wrote on Twitter.

He called on people to maintain their social distance in the few hours left before the lockdown was announced and the time it went into effect at midnight on Friday. However, soon after news of the move emerged, many people left their homes to buy food and drink in the country's commercial hub Istanbul, a city of 16 million people.

Earlier on Friday, before the lockdown was announced, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca had urged people to resist the temptation to leave their homes during the weekend as the weather turned warmer.

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 increased by 4,747 and 98 people died in the previous 24 hours, bringing Turkey's total death toll to 1,006, Mr Koca said.

Detailing specifics of the lockdown in a subsequent statement, the Interior Ministry said bakeries, pharmacies and health facilities would be among places excluded from the ban, enabling people to meet essential needs.

Strategic energy companies, distribution firms and some petrol stations would also be allowed to keep operating and people working in such places were exempted from the lockdown, it said.

"It is essential that all other citizens remain in their homes aside from the specified exemptions," the statement said.

The lockdown extends across provinces from Istanbul and Kocaeli in the north-west to Diyarbakir and Van in the south-east.