Foreign tourists exempt from partial weekend curfew implementation, says Turkey's Interior Ministry

Duvar English

Turkey's Interior Ministry on Nov. 20 released a statement saying that foreign tourists as well as people employed in the advertising and TV-series sectors are exempt from the partial weekend curfew implementation.

“Foreign tourists who are in our country for a temporary period of time within the framework of touristic activities, will be exempt from the curfew implementation that will be applied on weekends,” said the ministry in a statement.

The ministry's statement also said that the exemption will cover employees of the advertising and TV-series sectors, who are known to work for long hours, even on weekends.

Turkey has entered a new stage in terms of restrictions as the number of COVID-19 infections keeps surging. As of Nov. 20 evening, restaurants and cafes were shut down, and on Nov. 21, a partial weekend curfew will come into effect.

The Interior Ministry said earlier this week that nationwide weekend curfews are being introduced from Nov. 21 as follows:

-- 8 pm on Saturday evening until 10 am on Sunday morning.
-- 8 pm on Sunday evening until 5 am on Monday morning.

As for the weekdays, there is no restriction except for those aged over 65 or younger than 20. Citizens aged over 65 are only allowed to go outside between 10 am and 1 pm (unless they are working), and citizens younger than 20 are only allowed to go outside between 1 pm and 4 pm (again unless they are working).

Turkey recorded its highest single-day COVID-19 death toll on Nov. 20, with 141 fatalities reported, according to data from the Health Ministry. The data showed 5,103 new COVID-19 patients were recorded in the country, while the overall death toll rose to 12,084.