On March 15, the Ministry of Interior in Turkey suspended the functioning of certain public spaces, including bars, clubs, discos as well as theatres, cinemas, concert halls, wedding places, live music cafes, internet cafes, indoor children gardens, association restaurants, theme parks, swimming pools, hammams, saunas, and spas beginning from the following day in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Similarly, the meetings of associations, foundations, and NGOs will be suspended. The Ministry also suspended ‘moaning houses’ where people gathered following a funeral.
On March 16, the people who came back to Turkey after visiting Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage were put under quarantine at school and university dormitories. This resulted in a controversy since students were forced to leave the dormitories.
On late March 17, Fahrettin Koca, the Minister of Health, reported the first coronavirus death in Turkey. An 89-year-old man lost his life. The minister declared that the number of COVID-19 positive people climbed to 98.
However, the Turkish Medical Association warned that the actual number of people infected with COVID-19 was higher. In fact, the Association blamed the AKP government for the lack of transparency, and the Association was receiving reports from various hospitals about COVID-19 positive cases uncounted by the government.
The Association underlined that only one thousand people coming from Saudi Arabia were quarantined but 17 thousand people coming back from Saudi Arabia were sent back to their homes with an advice of self-quarantine. The Association also highlighted that there were several hospitals that were insufficiently equipped.
