ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey said on Wednesday new coronavirus measures limiting the working hours of restaurants and cafes and introducing a partial lockdown on weekends will take effect from the evening of Nov. 20, according to an interior ministry statement.
Restaurants, cafes, shopping malls and hairdressers will only be allowed to operate from 0700 GMT to 1700 GMT, the statement said, while restaurants and cafes will only be open for takeaway and delivery services.
Under the new curbs, which will take effect from 1700 GMT on Friday, cinemas will be closed for the rest of the year.
The government said on Tuesday it would impose tighter coronavirus measures as cases surged in recent weeks. Ankara reported 3,819 new symptomatic cases on Tuesday and 103 COVID-19 deaths in the country, taking the total death toll to 11,704.
A partial lockdown will also be introduced across the country over the weekends until further notice, the interior ministry said, adding these would not disrupt supply and production chains.
Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa