Turkey Reimposes Curfews for At-Risk Seniors as Virus Surges

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey ordered older citizens in its two biggest cities to mostly stay home as deaths from coronavirus reached their highest since late April.

Those over the age of 65 will only be allowed out between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in Ankara, the capital, and business hub Istanbul, the Interior Ministry said. Seniors must wear masks and observe social distancing rules when on the streets or risk fines.

Covid-19 infections are rising in Turkey, leading to an increase in fatalities, which reached 87 on Tuesday. More than 11,000 people have now died from the virus in Turkey, while the number of seriously ill patients has risen for 20 consecutive days to 3,001.

The Health Ministry stopped providing the number of daily infections at the end of July. It is instead publishing only the number of carriers exhibiting symptoms.

Lockdowns to contain the pandemic resulted in the economy contracting an annual 9.9% in the second quarter, the most in over a decade. The government predicts modest growth of 0.3% this year, though a Bloomberg survey of 34 analysts forecasts a contraction of 3.1%.

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