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Turkey Imposing Curfew for People Over Age 65
Turkey’s coronavirus deaths rose to 21 as expanded testing, including kits from China, accelerated the infection count.
23 Mar 2020, 08:17 AM IST 
A metropolitan municipality worker wearing a hazmat suit sprays disinfectant into a yellow taxi in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photographer: Kerem Uzel/Bloomberg)
(Bloomberg) --
Turkey’s coronavirus deaths rose to 21 on Saturday as expanded testing, including kits from China, accelerated the infection count.
Confirmed cases increased by almost 300 from Friday to 947, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The government is expanding testing across Turkey with the arrival of 15-minute diagnosis kits from China on Friday and a gradual increase in the number of labs to 36 from 16.
Measures introduced over the weekend include:
- A lockdown starting midnight Saturday for citizens over the age of 65 and those with chronic diseases
- Suspension of flights to 46 more countries, bringing the total to 68. The new ban includes Portugal, Canada and northern Cyprus.
- The Interior Ministry ordered restaurants to remove tables and offer only takeaway and delivery services
- The government banned picnics and barbecues, and ordered closing down of barber shops, hair and beauty salons.
- Electronics retailer Teknosa Ic ve Dis Ticaret AS joined a group of retailers to shut down its stores nationwide.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.