Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced further easing of the restrictions against the COVID-19 pandemic as Turkey has entered a normalization process.
“It is a fact that we have survived with the least loss of lives, restrictions, and economic difficulties compared to Europe,” Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.
“I want to remind you of the fact that we need to organize our lives with masks, distance and hygiene until the root (of the virus) is scraped,” he added.
Turkish citizens aged 65 and older were permitted to go outdoors every day while the curfew for those under the age of 18 has been lifted, according to the president.
Marriage halls will open on June 15, while cinemas, theatres and wedding halls on July 1. The closing time of businesses, such as restaurants and cafes, has been extended from 10 p.m. to midnight.
The novel coronavirus cases in Turkey increased by 993 to 172,114 in the past 24 hours, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 18 more people died, taking the death toll to 4,729, while 3,218 patients have recovered, raising the total recoveries to 144,598, Koca said.
A total of 642 patients are being treated in intensive care units, and 281 intubated, he added.
Turkey reported the first COVID-19 case on March 11 and started normalization from June 1.
Turkey and China have supported each other in the fight against COVID-19. Chinese doctors and medical experts held a video conference with Turkish counterparts to share China’s experiences in treating coronavirus patients, protecting medical workers, and controlling the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, Iran has re-emerged as the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East region, as the country is witnessing a respike of the pandemic with its confirmed cases going beyond 177,000.
Iran reported a total of 177,938 coronavirus cases on Wednesday after an overnight registration of 2,043 new ones on Monday.
The pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 8,506 Iranians, up by 70 in the past 24 hours. Besides, 140,530 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 2,619 remain in critical condition.
Iran’s health officials have urged the people to wear face masks in public places, particularly in the public transport vehicles as the country has started to restart businesses and social activities.
After a three-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran and Turkey have also reopened the key border crossing of Bazargan on Thursday for trade exchanges.
The Bazargan border crossing reopened last week, Xinhua news agency quoted the spokesperson for the Iranian Customs Administration, Ruhollah Latifi.
He said that Iranian and Turkish trucks were allowed to pass through the border point on the condition that the health protocols agreed between the two sides are respected.
Last week, Iranian and Turkish Presidents discussed reopening of air and land borders between the two countries as novel coronavirus infections and fatality have taken downward trends on both sides of the border.
The closure of the borders between Iran and Turkey over the past three months has caused a decline of 70 per cent in trade between the two countries compared to the corresponding period last year.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the recent developments in war-ravaged Libya.
During a phone call on Monday, Sisi and Merkel exchanged views about the latest developments of the Libyan situation in the light of the Egypt-sponsored initiative for peace in the North African country, said Bassam Rady, Egyptian presidential spokesman, in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.
Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s readiness to reach a comprehensive political settlement in Libya through the recently proposed initiative to achieve stability and security in Libya.
Egypt is keen to preserve the resources of the Libyan people as well as putting an end to illegal foreign interventions that aggravated violence in the country, he added.
On Saturday, Sisi announced an initiative to end the Libyan internal conflict following his meeting in Cairo with Libyan east-based military commander Khalifa Haftar and Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.
Dubbed Cairo Declaration, the Egyptian initiative proposes a cease-fire between Libyan warring parties starting June 8, disbanding militias and handing over their arms, pulling out foreign forces, electing a ruling presidential council representing all Libyans and drafting a constitutional declaration to regulate elections for later stages.
According to the spokesman, Merkel welcomed the initiative, which she viewed as “an extension of the Berlin conference path with new effective elements and dimensions to the Libyan political process.”
The German chancellor also praised the Egyptian efforts to reach a settlement to the conflict in Libya, the spokesman said.
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