Some 1.3 million Istanbul residents are still using public transportation despite an 83 percent decline in ridership due to measures taken by the city to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said on Wednesday
In early March 7.5 million people out of a city population of approximately 18 million took public transportation every day.
The Turkish government has been trying to keep the public at home to slow the spread of the virus, closing shops, malls, mosques and even parks.
As of Tuesday, Turkey had 1,872 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 44 deaths, according to the health minister.
First seen in the Chinese city of Wuhan, COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world, infecting nearly 440,000 people worldwide and killing more than 19,750.