Erdoğan rules out curfew plans during Eid al-Adha holiday

Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 17 dismissed plans to introduce a curfew during the Eid al-Adha holiday (or the “Feast of Sacrifice”).

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Asked if there will be “restrictions” during the Eid al-Adha, Erdoğan said: “It is difficult to take such a step for the Eid al-Adha holiday. Of course, the issue's evaluation will be done by the [Health Ministry's Coronavirus] Science Committee, but we can also share our view with the Science Committee.”

The government takes decisions concerning coronavirus measures in line with the recommendations brought forward by the Science Committee.

“The features, characters of the Eid al-Adha holiday are very very different. Animals will be sacrificed that day and people will visit each other. So, such a situation [curfew] is not on our agenda right now,” Erdoğan said.

Earlier in July, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also dismissed plans to reintroduce a nationwide curfew during the Eid al-Adha but said that provincial restrictions might be imposed.

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“We are not considering a nationwide curfew, but restrictions might be imposed depending on province for the Eid al-Adha. We will again talk about this issue next week,” Koca said during a press conference on July 8.

On July 16, Turkey reported a third straight day of fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases.

Daily cases hit a low of 786 on June 2 in the country but more than doubled to 1,592 two weeks later after the government eased measures against the spread of the virus.

At the start of June, Turkey opened restaurants and cafes, and lifted weekend stay-home orders and inter-city travel bans.

A subsequent doubling of daily coronavirus cases prompted Erdoğan to warn the country had lost some ground in its battle with COVID-19.

As Turks poured out into streets, parks, malls and vacation spots last month, the government made face masks compulsory in several provinces. Officials have since said there is no plan to slow momentum in the economy, which emerged in June from a near standstill since mid-March.