Turkey will begin a cautious easing of a total lockdown next week and will lift more restrictions in June, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday. The country records a sharp drop in Covid-19 cases after the peak of a severe second wave of the pandemic.
Turkish authorities imposed a total lockdown two weeks ago after the number of daily infections of the disease rose to over 60,000, one of the highest rates in the world, and deaths reached nearly 400 a day.
The outbreak threatens to hit Turkey’s lucrative tourist season, and has already led to the transfer of the Champions League final from Istanbul to Porto, Portugal, while today Formula One decided to cancel the Turkish Grand Prix.
Erdogan said that a “Controlled Smoothing Schedule “will begin on Monday.
“Our intention is to continue to act relatively carefully until the end of May,” he said in a televised speech. “From June, we intend to significantly reduce the measures in a way that will make daily life even more comfortable.”
The number of daily new cases has dropped to 11,000, a sharp drop from last month, but it still remains high compared to the 5,000-day-old infection target set by the Turkish president at the start of the lockdown. About 10.7 million people have been fully vaccinated (13% of the population), while another 4 million have received the first dose of a new coronavirus vaccine.
“As a result of the sacrifices we are making, we are seeing a significant reduction in the number of new cases, serious illnesses and deaths,” Erdogan said. “We hope to reduce these numbers even further, while remaining vigilant,” he added.
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