President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Announced: A 4-Day Curfew Will Be Enforced! Following the recent cabinet meeting, a breaking announcement was made stating that, within the scope of measures against the coronavirus, a curfew will be in effect from 00:01 on April 22, 2020 until 00:01 on April 26, 2020. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined the live broadcast after the meeting to explain the latest decisions.
In his address to the nation after the cabinet meeting, President Erdoğan placed the upcoming weekend curfew at the top of the agenda. He said some restrictions will continue for a time, and clarified that this weekend’s measures will differ slightly from previous ones. Accordingly, in connection with April 23, the curfew will begin at 00:00 on April 22, 2020 and last until 00:00 on the night of Sunday, April 26, 2020.
President Erdoğan’s Announcements After the Meeting
The main focus of the cabinet meeting was the coronavirus and the curfew. Discussions covered necessary measures and the rules the public must follow. To maintain physical distance between people, schools have been closed and intercity travel and curfews have been introduced as general precautions. The President noted that the country is in a good position in terms of hospital beds, intensive care capacity and ventilators. Production of food and cleaning supplies continues without interruption, which is a major source of reassurance. Overall, there is no shortage of essential products across the country. Police, neighborhood watch and gendarmerie units continue to maintain public order, while Vefa Social Support teams carry out their duties selflessly.
President Erdoğan said that support has been provided to three million citizens so far. He mentioned distribution of disinfectant and masks and emphasized that no major public order disruption has occurred since the start of the outbreak. At present, 239 neighborhoods and villages are under quarantine. Free mask distribution continues through PTT and pharmacies. Efforts to produce ventilators for intensive care have been successful; he noted that results were achieved within 14 days after work began, and that 5,000 domestically produced ventilators are expected by the end of May. He expressed gratitude to bakers, butchers, newspaper vendors, media workers and all public servants and employees for carrying out their duties. The measures have been implemented carefully with the goal of reducing the outbreak to levels that will allow for celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
For citizens with no income, we have provided cash assistance of 1,000 TL to 2.1 million households. In a second phase, another 1,000 TL was delivered to a total of 2.3 million additional households. Through our Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations, we have allocated over 500 million TL in resources specifically for Ramadan. Conditional cash transfers continue for 2,234,000 students across all 81 provinces, with 75 TL for girls and 50 TL for boys. Orphaned students receive monthly support of 150 TL for approximately 41,000 beneficiaries.