Turkey to impose 4-day lockdown to curb COVID-19 pandemic

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday declared a four-day lockdown from May 16 to 19 as part of the measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 19 marks the National Youth and Sports Day, a public holiday in Turkey.

Speaking after attending a cabinet meeting via a video conference from Istanbul, Erdogan said the government also decided to lift the travel restrictions for nine cities.

But the limitations for 15 other provinces, including Istanbul, would continue, he added.

Last week, Erdogan said his government would gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions during May, June, and July.

Turkey reported 1,114 new COVID-19 cases and 55 more deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 139,771 and the death toll to 3,841.