ANKARA, Mar 3 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey eased several COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces, as the country entered a new phase in the fight against the pandemic, Turkish Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca, said yesterday.
“I would like to emphasise that, the pandemic currently affects our social life much less than before,” the minister told reporters, at a press conference, in the capital Ankara.
The fight against the coronavirus will rely especially on vaccines, Koca said, after a meeting of Turkey’s COVID-19 science board.
The country will fight the pandemic by individual measures, and citizens without symptoms will not be tested, he said.
Accordingly, the outdoor mask requirement is lifted, while masks will not be mandatory indoors, when there is enough ventilation, and if the distance rule is respected, Koca said.
A contact tracing app code will no longer be required, while entering shopping malls or other public venues. It will be enough to isolate infected students, and education will continue in their classes.
Turkey gradually eased restrictions since 2021, while Omicron became the dominant variant in the country. In Jan, the government abolished the PCR test requirement, for screening purposes, and for close contacts of COVID-positive individuals.
The test requirement for unvaccinated individuals is lifted, to access public events. Furthermore, Turkey shortened the isolation period of COVID-19 to seven days.
Turkey yesterday confirmed 56,780 new COVID-19 cases, while the death toll from the virus rose by 189.– NNN-ANADOLU
