Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on Friday announced additional measures against the coronavirus outbreak, saying that the country had banned on weekends walking, jogging and workouts in forests, at the seaside and in picnic venues as well as fishing, the Turkish media reported.
“This is for weekends, but the governors can extend this ban to weekdays as well,” Soylu told a reporter during a TV broadcast, adding that intercity bus travel would be also be restricted.
He also mentioned the possibility of imposing a national lockdown if the outbreak worsens.
Turkey’s health minister, Fahrettin Koca, said on Friday the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 5,698, while the death toll increased to 92 with 17 more deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Turkish media.
The first case of coronavirus in Turkey was confirmed by the minister on March 11.
First seen in the Chinese city of Wuhan, COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world, infecting nearly 577,000 people worldwide and killing more than 26,400.