Turkey plans to drop mandatory use of face masks outdoors

Turkey will soon lift the mandatory use of masks outdoors as part of a plan to ease the coronavirus measures, according to a report by pro-government daily Türkiye.

Tuesday February 22 2022 03:59 pm

Duvar English

Turkey will soon lift the mandatory use of face masks outdoors, according to a report by pro-government daily Türkiye.

The report said that Turkey will take normalization steps gradually depending on the decrease in the COVID-19 cases in the upcoming period.

The mandatory use of face masks indoors will likely continue for a while.

"Mask use will be obligatory for the intra-city and inter-city public transportation and in closed areas for a while longer. But, as of spring, it is said that this measure will be left to individual preference. For outdoors on the other hand, it is said that mask mandate will be completely lifted," the report said. "

Turkey first imposed the mandatory use of face masks outdoors on April 3, 2020. The measure has been in effect since then.

Turkey on Feb. 21 reported 85,026 new coronavirus cases and 268 related deaths.