Coronavirus: Turkey imposes curfew in 31 provinces

By Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has imposed a curfew in 31 provinces until midnight of April 12 as part of measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country’s Interior Ministry announced on Friday.

The curfew is ordered in the capital Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Aydin, Balikesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Tekirdag, Trabzon, Van and Zonguldak, the ministry said in a statement.

A circular on the issue was sent to the governorships, it added.

On Friday, Turkey confirmed 98 more deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 1,006.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surged to 47,029 where a total of 2,423 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe.

The pandemic has killed more than 101,100 people, and infected over 1.67 million, while nearly 372,000 people recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar