Authorities to tighten COVID-19 restrictions November 20

Event

Authorities in Turkey will impose tighter controls to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that will come into effect at 20:00 (local time) on Friday, November 20. Under the new measures, persons over 65 years of age may only leave their homes between 10:00 and 13:00 and those under the age of 20 between 10:00 and 16:00. A weekend curfew will also be imposed between 20:00 and 10:00, with citizens only able to leave their homes for essential purposes during these hours. An extended curfew will be in place for the coming weekend from 20:00 on Sunday, November 22, until 05:00 on Monday, November 23. Malls, markets, restaurants, and hairdressers will be required to close at 20:00 and restaurants and cafes can only offer delivery services. Schools will be required to teach lessons online for the remainder of 2020. The wearing of face masks in public remains mandatory nationwide and social distancing must be observed. Limited capacities apply on public transport.

Turkey's land, air, and seas borders have largely reopened, although nonessential travel to Iran and Iraq remains prohibited. All travelers are required to undergo a health screening on arrival and those displaying COVID-19 symptoms must undergo a COVID-19 test and quarantine for 14 days.

As of Wednesday, November 18, there have been 421,413 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11,704 associated fatalities. Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) recover from the disease without being hospitalized.

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:

• Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.

• When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.

• If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the disease.

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