PodcastTurkish gov't dismisses rumors of state of emergency, travel restrictions over coronavirus
Turkey's presidential communications director, Fahrettin Altun, on March 17 denied rumors circulating on social media that a state of emergency or curfew will be imposed amid coronavirus concerns.
Duvar English
The Turkish government has dismissed rumors that a state of emergency will be declared or there will be a domestic travel ban in the country amid coronavirus outbreak.
“We would like to highlight that rumors which say a state of emergency will be declared, curfew will be applied or travel restrictions will be imposed do not reflect the truth and such extensive restrictive steps are not on our agenda,” Fahrettin Altun, Turkey's presidential communications director, was quoted as saying by state-run Anadolu Agency.
Altun called on people not to pay attention to any information that is not confirmed by official authorities.
“With the awareness that we have a responsibility to protect the health of our citizens as well as their freedom, in this struggle that we are carrying out under the leadership of our [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan], we ask [people] not to believe any news, information or rumors that have not been confirmed by official sources,” he said.
On March 16, Turkish authorities announced that the number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 47.
The government took a series of precautions against the spread of the virus, including shutting down schools, universities, bars, nightclubs, cinemas, cafes, spas, amusement parks and swimming pools.