The possibility of imposing a stricter lockdown will discuss Turkey’s cabinet today as President Tayyip Erdogan tries to avoid another year of lost tourism revenue.
After the last cabinet meeting two weeks ago, and as the number of cases increased, Erdogan restricted social activities and travel.
Total daily cases peaked at more than 63,000 on April 16, before falling sharply to below 39,000 on Sunday, according to AMPE.
However, government officials said the drop was not enough ministers will consider imposing new measures to last until the holidays on March 13-15 at the end of the month of Ramadan, in a way that will not affect economic production.
“The cases have been decreasing for a few days now, but it is not enough. Full closure will be on the agenda of the cabinet “And this option should be implemented,” an official told Reuters.
The measures, although careful to allow economic production to continue, will result in the closure of shopping malls and will require a special permit for long-distance travel, the person said. Cafes and restaurants are already closed.
Last Friday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the latest restrictions had shown some results, including a 20% reduction in cases. coronavirus in Istanbul and fewer patients in hospitals, although intensive care units are still under pressure. He also said that the measures will be tightened, if the desired reduction in cases is not achieved.
Critical tourist season
Turkey has recorded a total of 4.63 million cases COVID-19, with the death toll reaching 38,358. It ranks fourth in the world in daily coronavirus cases and first on a per capita basis among major states, with deaths peaking at 362 last week.
Both figures have skyrocketed since Erdogan launched a period of “controlled normalization” in early March.
Russia this month restricted flights to and from Turkey until June 1st. Ankara announced the move will reduce the number of tourists by about 500,000.
A two-thirds drop in tourism revenue last year widened Turkey’s current account deficit, putting pressure on scarce foreign exchange and pushing the pound to a new record low in November.
“Tourism is crucial for foreign exchange inflows,” the first official said. “So, in order not to completely miss the tourist season, these measures must be strictly implemented.”
The pound has fallen in the last six days of trading near its lowest level due to concerns about strained relations with the US as well as the policy under the new central banker.
“If this is the solution, we will have to endure a complete closure. “But this must be done without hurting the production side,” a second official told Reuters.
“The closure of schools and shopping malls seems right given the risk of infection.”
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