Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday that a four-day lockdown would be imposed in 31 cities from Thursday as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Turkey imposed lockdowns in 31 cities over the past two weekends. Erdoğan said the lockdown would be longer this time due to a national holiday that falls on Thursday, April 23, adding that weekend lockdowns could continue "for some time".
Turkey observes the National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23 every year. This year marks the centennial of the Grand National Assembly.
The curfew will end midnight on April 26.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdoğan said Turkey aims to bring the outbreak to a level that would allow for a normalisation of life after the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday at the end of May, adding that steps could be taken before that.
On Monday, the coronavirus death toll in Turkey reached 2,140, with 90,980 cases.
