The corona virus continues to spread in Turkey. For the month of Lent Ramadan, therefore, further restrictions were decided. The Turkish economy is also under pressure.
- The Sars-CoV-2 * coronavirus continues to spread in Turkey .
- President Recep Tayyip E rdogan has therefore called on the population to donate.
- A special Corona law now causes criticism. The most important thing about Corona is also available on our brand new Facebook page Corona News. Follow now.
Corona virus: Turkish lira falls to record low
Update of April 29, 10:34 am: Turkey is fighting the economic consequences in the corona crisis . The Turkish central bank cut interest rates again. The Turkish lira is under pressure. On Tuesday (April 28), up to 7.62 lira was paid for one euro.
In late summer 2018, so much had to be paid for one euro. At that time, violent currency turmoil as a result of a political dispute between Turkey and the United States caused the Turkish currency to plummet to a record low. Turkey is facing a dire new crisis.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Turkish Airlines extends flight stop
Update from April 29, 10:31 a.m .: Turkish Airlines had discontinued air traffic to Germany on March 21. The Turkish airline is now extending the flight hold until May 28 due to the corona crisis. By that date, there will be no domestic and international flights, the company said on Tuesday evenings.
Corona virus: Turkey imposes curfew again
Update of April 27, 7.41 p.m .: Again the Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a three-day curfew for Istanbul and 30 other cities and provinces because of the corona crisis . This begins on Thursday at midnight (local time; corresponds to 11:00 p.m. Central European Time) and ends on Sunday at the same time, Erdogan said on Monday after an online cabinet meeting in Istanbul. However, supermarkets are open on Friday, May 1st, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Will summer trips to Turkey be possible despite the Corona crisis *? There are first answers.
Corona virus in Turkey: curfews over the weekend for three weeks
For three weeks, Turkey has been imposing 48-hour curfews over the weekend in the 31 cities affected, including Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Last weekend the extensive exit ban was extended to four days due to a public holiday. Important facilities such as pharmacies, hospitals and bakeries usually remain open.
Yet at least until the end of Ramadan in late May should curfews be continued over the weekend , Erdogan announced. Meanwhile, the Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca via Twitter announced that in one day 2,131 people positively to the Coronavirus tested were. The official number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 112,261 . Also had one day 95 people in connection with a Covid-19 disease died . The total number of fatalities in Turkey rose to 2900 .
The Turkish government has already taken a number of measures to counteract the spread of coronavirus. For example, there is an extensive curfew for people under the age of 20, people over 65 and the chronically ill.
Corona crisis in Turkey: shipping traffic closed - dolphins appear in the Bosphorus
Update, 3:26 p.m .: After the extensive shutdown of shipping traffic and the fishing ban in Istanbul, dolphins are sighted again at the Bospurus, reports Erol Orkcu, head of the Amateur and Sport Fish Association in Istanbul. For experts, this is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
Coronavirus Turkey: Dolphins are sighted again at the Bospurus
© AFP / OZAN KOSE
Coronavirus in Turkey: Erdogan probably supported Covid 19 spread in Europe
Update of April 26, 11:13 p.m .: With his promise that there would be open borders to Europe, P remier Tayip Erdogan attracted thousands of refugees to the country in early March - and thus probably supported an uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus in Turkey and among refugees from Syria . Around 20,000 people were brought to the Greek border from all parts of the country by bus, as the world writes - including from mountainous regions on the border with Iran , where the corona virus was already raging. In early March, however, the virus was still largely assessed as less dangerous.
Refugees still attempting to cross Greece via the Evros river from Turkey risking violence from Greek border guards. Many tell me that they came on the false promise that border gates had been opened. pic.twitter.com/alztc3TKKr
- Andrew Gardner (@andrewegardner) March 5, 2020Also on the second weekend in April, families were brought from a camp in Eastern Anatolia to a reception camp in Izmir . "Between five and 15 people were accommodated in one room and supplied without adequate hygiene materials," complained the Izmir Bar in a press release, according to the world. This reception camp with high infection rates was also emptied, whereupon the refugees tried to continue their journey on their own and with the support of aid organizations .
The fact that several lawyers and journalists who had contact with the people on several transport routes and in camps in Turkey subsequently tested positive for the corona virus indicates an extremely high number of unreported cases .
Coronavirus in Turkey: That changes in Ramadan
Update of April 24, 9:57 a.m .: Due to the current exit restrictions due to the Corona crisis, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany has proposed a change in the muezzin reputation . Aiman Mazyek, Chairman of the Central Council, said to the "Rheinische Post": "I think it is conceivable that the line 'Come here for prayer' will be converted into 'pray at home' in the public calls to muezzin." This is already happening in many parts dealt with the Islamic world in the currently extraordinary Ramadan.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Shortly before the start of the fasting month of Ramadan - 31 cities affected by exit ban
Update, 16:18: According to information from Johns Hopkins University, 98,674 positive tests are currently known in Turkey, 2,376 have died in connection with a Covid 19 infection.
Corona virus in Turkey: ban on going out comes into force
Update of April 23, 8:49 am: Because of the corona pandemic , a four-day ban on going out has largely entered into force in 31 Turkish cities and provinces . The government is tightening existing regulations. She had previously curfewed twice on weekends. Now people should stay at home from midnight (local time) up to and including Sunday.
This affects, among other things, the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul , and the capital Ankara . Some shopping opportunities should remain open on Thursday and Friday at least half a day. Thursday is a national holiday and on Friday the holy month of Ramadan begins . In addition, pharmacies, clinics, bakeries and other service providers classified as important may work at the weekend.
Coroan virus in Turkey: Erdogan and Putin talk about Syria
Update April 22, 20:50: In Syria conflict that support Turkey and Russia , although different sides , as Turkey is on the side of the rebels and Russia supported the government. Nevertheless, both countries now want to step up their measures together in times of the corona pandemic * and work closely together in future, for example via the ministries of health.
This was announced by the Kremlin on Tuesday after a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan . The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that both heads of state want to cooperate on regional issues.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Erdogan and Putin cooperate during the pandemic
The situation in the Syrian rebel stronghold Idlib was also discussed. According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, there was again a joint patrol by the Turkish and Russian military, the fifth Russian-Turkish inspection trip along the M4 expressway, which runs through the rebel area . A ceasefire has been in place in Idlib since the beginning of March, and this is largely complied with.
Infection numbers are rising steadily in both countries. So far, 90,000 people have tested positive in Turkey, and 2,140 patients have died from the consequences of the coronavirus *. So far only 53,000 corona infections * are known in Russia , 456 people have died so far. Iranian head of state Hassan Ruhani is also to be included in the partnership, since Iran is particularly badly affected with over 5200 deaths.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Fasting is prohibited in large groups
Update of April 22, 12.30 p.m .: Last week, the Turkish religious authority Diyanet declared that healthy believers should celebrate Ramadan regularly despite the spread of the coronavirus. The Turkish Ministry of the Interior has now banned large groups from fasting together during Ramadan.
Mass events and tents, which are usually set up to break the fast (Iftar), would not be approved, the Ministry in Ankara announced on Wednesday. The authorities also reserved the right to block roads where large groups could gather.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Effects on Ramadan fasting month clear
The drummers, who traditionally roam the houses at night to wake the faithful before sunrise, should no longer collect donations at the front doors, it said. Visits to cemeteries are coordinated in accordance with the distance rules. Common prayers in mosques were previously prohibited.
The Muslim month of fasting Ramadan begins in Turkey on Friday (April 24).
After a long back and forth, the mask requirement in Germany now applies nationwide.
Corona crisis in Turkey: official breakdown revealed? Fuss over the number of dead
Update April 22, 10:06: With more than 95,000 infected people facing Turkey world now the seventh most confirmed infections with the coronavirus from. As ntv reports, citing a report from the "New York Times", it is suspected that the authorities did not record everything correctly. This particularly applies to the officially recorded deaths from Covid-19 .
According to the report, the Istanbul health authorities recorded a total of 2,100 more deaths in their statistics from March 9 to April 12 than was the case on average in previous years.
On March 17, the Turkish government reported the first official corona death to Recep Tayyip Erdogan . At this point in time, however, an increase in the number of deaths was to be seen in the Istanbul statistics.
Had the virus spread to Turkey weeks before? There are doubts about Turkey's numbers. Because compared to other badly affected countries such as Spain, Italy or France, the number of Covid 19 deaths in Turkey is very low.
Corona crisis in Turkey: Infection numbers continue to rise - Erdogan is cracking down
Update, 9.40 p.m .: Again, the infection numbers in Turkey have risen further. According to Johns Hopkins University, 95,591 people have tested positive for the coronavirus (as of 9:40 p.m.). There are now 2,259 deaths. 14,918 people are considered to have recovered.
How deadly is the corona virus really? * A look at the death numbers provides information, as Merkur.de reports.
Corona in Turkey: Over 90,000 positive test results - 2140 fatalities
Update of April 21, 11:10 am: According to the Johns Hopkins University, 90,890 positive corona test results are officially available in Turkey, 2,140 people died in connection with Covid-19. Compared to the previous day, 4700 new cases were reported.
Coronavirus in Turkey: curfew at the beginning of Ramadan
Update of April 20, 9:15 p.m .: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a four-day curfew for Istanbul and 30 other cities in the country due to the corona pandemic . The curfew is expected to start on Thursday (April 23), Erdogan said. As of Monday (April 21), Turkey registered just under 91,000 coronavirus infections across the country , and the number of deaths rose to more than 2,100.
Because of the pandemic, exit restrictions already apply to senior citizens over 65 and people under 20 in Turkey . Schools are also closed. The government in Ankara has so far refrained from a nationwide curfew . For the 31 largest cities in the country, however, there was a curfew limited to 48 hours over the past two weekends.
Corona crisis in Turkey: numbers continue to rise - Erdogan takes effect
Update, 7.40 p.m .: In the meantime, the number of corona deaths in Turkey has exceeded the 2000 limit. Health minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 127 people had succumbed to the disease in 24 hours. In total, deaths from Covid-19 were reported in Turkey in 2017 . In addition, 3977 people tested positive for the corona virus in 24 hours . The total number of coronavirus cases in Turkey rose to 86,306.
Tedbirlere gösterdiğimiz özen meyvelerini veriyor. Biz günlük test imkanlarını artırırken, sorumlu davranışlarınız da yeni vaka sayılarını azaltacak. Sağlık ordumuza ve sağlık sistemimizin gücüne güvenin. Tedbiri elden bırakmayın.
https://t.co/RVlhe7786O pic.twitter.com/3pg0WRQuey
Update, 3:17 p.m .: According to current information from Johns Hopkins University , the number of corona infected in Turkey on Sunday afternoon is 82,329 . Compared to the previous day, the number of infections increased by almost 4,000 people. As previously reported, 1,890 people in the country also died as a result of or as a result of a Covid-19 infection . 10,453 people have completed the coronavirus infection and have now recovered.
Update of April 19, 8.24 a.m .: The numbers continue to rise in Turkey . To date, there are more than 82,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, as Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter on Saturday. 121 new deaths were reported within one day. A total of 1890 people have died in the country to date.
Update of April 18, 9:23 p.m .: To curb the corona virus , Turkey is extending travel restrictions for 31 cities and provinces by two weeks . The borders of the affected regions remain closed for travel by land, air and sea - with the exception of the transport of indispensable goods, as the state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday, citing the Ministry of the Interior.
In the 31 cities and provinces, there was also another two-day curfew this weekend . This had Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday after already for the previous weekend, such a measure had been arranged at short notice. The aim is to prevent people gathering in spring-like weather, as Erdogan emphasized.
Update from April 18, 8:50 a.m . : The number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus * in Turkey is currently 78,546 (as of 8:50 a.m.). 8,631 patients have already been cured, 1,769 have died as a result of the new virus.
Update, 7:27 p.m .: In Turkey, the government and other institutions are launching aid projects for stray animals that find less food in the corona crisis. The country's largest chamber of lawyers in the metropolis of Istanbul with 48,000 members, for example, is collecting food donations until April 26, the newspaper "Cumhuriyet" reported on Friday. According to this, animal lovers can buy feed on the website for the campaign, which would then be distributed.
Corona crisis in Turkey: Erdogan is planning a large-scale operation - and is investigating prominent rivals
Update, 4:55 p.m .: The Turkish Ministry of the Interior has launched an investigation against Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in connection with a fundraising campaign by the metropolis of Istanbul for needy citizens in the Corona crisis . This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Imamoglus on Friday. Imamoglu is a member of the opposition party CHP and had inflicted a major defeat on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP in the mayoral election.
Imamoglu had explained the background in an interview published by the Sözcü newspaper on Friday . People had already donated 900,000 lira (around 120,000 euros) when the account was frozen.
“Putting a stop to society's donation to the community in this way is a shame. Whoever signed that should be ashamed, ”said Imamoglu. "In addition, an investigation was started against me." Also against the mayor of the capital, Ankara, who was also opposed by the opposition.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had this and similar actions banned in other opposition-led cities around two weeks ago. At the same time, Erdogan had launched his own donation initiative and accused the opposition party CHP of acting as a “state within a state”. The spokeswoman for Imamoglu's team, Ilayda Kocoglu, said the government was banned only after the city fundraiser began. The money collection was not illegal.
Meanwhile, the situation in Europe is getting worse. French leader Emmanuel Macron hands out against Germany.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Erdogan government plans large-scale operation
Update, April 17, 12:40 p.m .: The number of people infected with the corona continues to rise rapidly in Turkey . The Johns Hopkins University reported 74,193 infected on Friday morning, representing an increase of 5,801. The number of Covid 19 deaths has also increased. Meanwhile, 1,643 people have died from the consequences of the corona virus. The day before, there were 1,518 people.
Medical personnel are also among the infected. In the Medicana Hospital in Istanbul, more than 80 employees are said to have contracted the virus, as reported by t-online.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government wants to bring around 25,000 people home for Ramadan, the fasting month, despite the corona crisis and the halt to international flights. Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Friday in a series of tweets that "a major operation" had been started with the provincial governors responsible. "Our goal is to ensure that our citizens as God willing in Blessed Ramadan come together with their loved ones," he wrote. It is about people from 59 countries .
Oktay initially did not provide details of the return campaign and any quarantine provisions for the travelers. Ramadan is expected to start on April 24th.
Corona: Notorious Mafia boss released from prison in Turkey - numbers skyrocket
Update, 12.30 p.m .: After the release of thousands of prisoners due to the Corona crisis in Turkey , a notorious mafia boss is again at large. Alaattin Cakici , who was convicted of inciting murder, among other things, was released from prison in Ankara on Thursday (April 16) . He was apparently released on parole.
The law that the dismissal of up to 90,000 prisoners because of the corona crisis permits, was on Tuesday (April 14) adopted by the Parliament in Ankara. Human rights activists and lawyers criticize the regulation because it excludes those detained under terrorism charges and pre-trial detainees .
Cakici was arrested in France in 1998 and convicted of numerous crimes. In 2006, he initially received life imprisonment for inciting the murder of his ex-wife. The sentence was later reduced to 19 years and two months.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Almost 70,000 people infected
Update, April 16, 11.30 a.m .: The number of infected people in Turkey continues to increase. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are 69,392 people infected with the coronavirus (as of April 16, 11:30 a.m.). 1518 people died as a result of the virus .
Coronavirus in Turkey: number of infected people skyrockets - Current case numbers
Update from April 15 : The number of corona infected people in Turkey is currently (as of 10.39 a.m.) 65,111 cases reported. 1403 people have already died in the country with the novel corona virus. 4799 people have recovered from the infection with the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen.
Coronavirus in Turkey: number of infected people skyrockets - clear announcement about Ramadan
Update from April 14, 8:12 p.m .: In Turkey, the number of known corona infections has increased to 65,111 in the past 24 hours, which corresponds to an increase of 4,062 cases compared to the presentation. During the same period, 107 people died in connection with Covid-19 , according to the Ministry of Health , bringing the death toll to 1,403. In total, almost 4,800 patients have now recovered.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Religious agency sticks to Ramadan, the month of fasting
Update of April 14, 2020, 1:50 pm : Despite the coronavirus crisis, believers should fast in Ramadan, according to the Turkish religious authority . “Every healthy believer is obliged to fast during the month of Ramadan as commanded by God. It is not possible to suspend this prayer, ”said the competent authority Diyanet on Tuesday, reports the news agency dpa .
The religious authority further said that, according to experts, fasting healthy people does not favor the spread of the virus. In addition, there is no medical evidence that the immune system is negatively affected. "On the contrary, there are scientific publications that fasting has positive effects on the immune system," it said. Risk groups such as the elderly and people with previous illnesses should refrain from fasting.
The Ramadan will begin on April 24, 2020 and ends a month later. Believing Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from daybreak to sunset.
The Islamic umbrella organization Ditib in Germany * had called on the faithful to hold back during Ramadan last week and advised high-risk groups to refrain from fasting.
Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu, Kovid-19 salgını nedeniyle Ramazan ayı ve oruç ibadetiyle ilgili vatandaşlardan gelen sorular üzerine, kimlerin oruç tutup kimlerin tutamayacağına dair bir açıklama/TAY.htvNT.N.
- Diyanet (@diyanetbasin) April 14, 2020Coronavirus in Turkey: government approves 90,000 prisoner release law
Update of April 14, 2020, 7:26 a.m .: Due to the corona pandemic , the Turkish parliament has approved a controversial draft law for the release of tens of thousands of prisoners . As a result of the acceptance by the deputies, the draft "became law", was an official Twitter message of the parliament in Ankara on Monday evening. Human rights groups had previously criticized the draft law because it did not include political prisoners .
The law, introduced by the government, provides for the release of approximately 90,000 inmates from overcrowded prisons because of the corona pandemic. Some of them are to be placed under house arrest, while others are to be released from prison early. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, a total of 279 MPs voted for the law, 51 against. An amnesty activist wrote on Twitter that no opposition amendment had been accepted.
First report from April 13, 2020:
Ankara - The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 in Turkey has continued to increase in recent days. There are now almost 57,000 confirmed infections . The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan therefore ordered, among other things, extensive curfews * on Friday.
These measures are designed to slow the spread of the virus, as is also practiced in many other European countries.
Coronavirus in Turkey: Erdogan calls on people to donate
In addition, Erdogan also launched a fundraising campaign, which is to compensate for the damage caused by the * Corona crisis. Under the motto "Biz Bize Yeteriz" ("We are enough"), the Turkish president has asked the population to donate to help the needy. What sounds like Erdogan's unselfish action gets a bland aftertaste on closer inspection.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
© AFP / HANDOUT
Because before Erdogan started his fundraising campaign, the mayors of the metropolitan cities of Ankara and Istanbul, among others, took their own initiative and launched their own regional fundraising campaigns. The success did not fail to materialize. Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul , announced that almost 887,000 euros had been raised within one and a half days.
Wiefocus.de reports, however, that the Erdogan government described these calls for donations as illegal and froze the donation accounts . According to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, municipalities are not entitled to collect donations independently according to Turkish law. Erdogan himself spoke of the fact that one cannot tolerate a “state within a state”.
Coronavirus in Turkey: criticism of President Erdogan - votes instead of health
The fact that both the mayors of Ankara and Istanbul, as well as those of the nine other municipalities in which donation campaigns were banned, belong to the largest opposition party, the CHP, is particularly delicate. Critics therefore assume that the government's donation campaign will take the wind out of its sails and take the initiative itself.
The CHP was outraged by the government's actions. In her opinion, collecting donations from municipalities and municipalities is anything but illegal. Erdogan and his government would deliberately sabotage the measures taken by the municipalities. "Instead of promoting public health, it is now just about votes," attorney Dogan Erkan from the Institute for Legal Studies (TODAM) told Focus and warned of the consequences *.
All previous developments of the corona crisis in Turkey can be found here.
In Germany, a discussion about easing has flared up - Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn't like it at all.
Bavaria is introducing a mask requirement as the third federal state from April 27 - we explain the background of this step. Markus Söder reveals why further easing is initially unrealistic and speaks an unsparing truth.
A European study on mortality shows how the corona pandemic affects the death toll in different countries.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
fd, AFP
Rubric list picture: © dpa / -
