Turkey to impose nationwide curfew on New Year holidays

As a measure to stem the spread of COVID-19, Turkey will have a nationwide curfew spanning the traditional New Year's holiday, from Dec. 31 to early Jan. 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

In addition to ongoing public health measures, the holiday lockdown will last from 9 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 5 a.m. on Jan. 4, Erdogan told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.

"We have started to see the positive effects of the restrictions and other measures," he said, stating this was thanks to the “public sacrifice.”

On the economic effects of the pandemic, Erdogan stressed that the Turkish economy stands ready to face down tough tests, to navigate various scenarios, and to benefit from emerging opportunities.

He noted Turkey will continue its reform program to improve the investment climate and address investors' doubts, Anadolu Agency reported.

As of Monday, Turkey registered a total of 16,646 deaths due to the coronavirus, while over 1.63 million people have recovered from the disease. Currently, there are over 1.86 million confirmed cases in the country.

The virus has claimed more than 1.61 million lives in 191 countries and regions since first being detected in Wuhan, China last December, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Over 72.44 million people have been infected with the virus and more than 47.4 million have recovered from the disease.