Turkey further eases virus restrictions, allows senior citizens to go out every day

Duvar English

Turkey's senior citizens want freedom, think they've 'done their duty' under COVID-19 isolation

Turkey's senior citizens will be allowed to leave their homes between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day as the country continues to ease coronavirus restrictions, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 9.

As for the youngsters under the age of 18, they will be allowed to leave their homes anytime as long as they are accompanied by their parents, Erdoğan said in an address to the nation following a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

Turkey was applying partial lockdowns with people above 65 and under 18 as they were allowed out only on certain days for a limited number of hours.

Senior citizens however have been recently protesting the curfew imposed on them saying that they have "done their duty."

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Among other easing measures, Turkey is extending the closing hours of cafes and restaurants from 10 p.m. to 12 p.m.

Theaters, cinemas, concert halls and other cultural venues will be allowed to re-open starting on July 1, whereas marriage registration halls on June 15 and wedding saloons on July 1.

The government has been gradually easing the restrictions for the past few weeks, as authorities say the coronavirus outbreak is now under control.

As part of the "new normalization process," the government lifted restrictions on intercity travel and allowed restaurants, cafes, parks and sports facilities to reopen from June 1.