Turkish officials are studying road maps in an effort to gradually reopen Turkey if the number of virus cases drops to target levels.

And this is after a complete nationwide lockdown that has lasted 17 days, which will end on May 17th.

The authorities are also closely monitoring the impact of the lockdown that began on April 29 to determine what steps to take next.

According to plans for the gradual reopening of enrollment, schools will open first, while small businesses will resume.

Some of them, such as hair salons, attorney offices, and their operations are in the second phase of the reopening.

In the third phase, restaurants and cafes will open, but according to strict rules, including limited capacity and outdoor customer service.

Officials also said that if vaccination gains momentum and at the same time daily cases will drop to desired levels.

Turkey could move toward a gradual reopening, adding that the night curfew and weekend lockdown may remain in place.

According to officials, the goal is to raise the number of cases from 400 currently per 100,000 people to 100 after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which will take place between May 13 and May 15.

They added, “We need to reduce the number of daily cases to less than 10,000.”

Professor Mehmet Cihan, an expert in infectious diseases at Hajjah Teb University in Ankara, also warned of the risks faced by people returning from resorts or towns to major cities after the closure.

“If all restrictions are lifted immediately, and people return to cities in an uncontrollable way, virus cases may rise in mid-June,” Jihan said.

He also proposed a gradual reopening of six to eight weeks.

Ceyhan stressed that COVID-19 is now prevalent among young people and children, indicating that Turkey may not witness a fourth wave of outbreaks if about 70% to 75% of the population receives their vaccines.

“Turkey needs to make the necessary arrangements to vaccinate people under the age of 18, who make up 20 percent of the population,” he added.

Vaccine delivery

Health Minister Fakhruddin Kuja reiterated on May 3 that the goal of the vaccination campaign was to vaccinate people over the age of 40 by the end of June.

“We also want to vaccinate our citizens over the age of 18 and our youth during the summer,” the minister said.

Koca noted that Turkey has signed deals with different suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are talking about 240 million vaccines in total, 100 million of them [Chinese] Simovac.

The minister said that with a number of positive developments in the coming days, we estimate that [vaccine] shipments could start again this month.

Apart from this, 50 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine will be delivered in more than six months.

There is also an agreement for a total of 90 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech syringe, according to Koca.

To date, Turkey has given more than 23.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 14.1 million people received the first dose, while nearly 9.6 million were given two doses of the vaccines.

The post Turkey is gradually reopening after the closure in Istanbul appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Two Armenians are brought before the US judiciary in cases of “hate” and “threatening to kill”, which may carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

This is because they attacked a Turkish restaurant in Los Angeles months ago.

Speaking on Wednesday, the owner of the “Istanbul Cafe” restaurant in Beverly Hills said that the defendants attacked the restaurant on November 4, 2020.

What caused injuries to a number of people, and caused material damage to the building, estimated at $ 20,000.

“We have filed reports with the city police, and a number of lawsuits in Los Angeles court since then,” he added.

He explained that the police arrested one of the accused immediately after identifying him through CCTV recordings.

The other remained on the run until the authorities managed to catch him on the morning of April 27th.

He pointed out that the defendants during the attack threatened the restaurant visitors with death, and insulted the Turkish and Azerbaijani people.

He pointed out that the cases brought before the judiciary under the clauses of “hate crimes” and “death threats” will be decided during the coming period.

The punishment is expected to reach about 15 years in prison, according to the law.

The post The US.. Two Armenians wait for prison for attacking a Turkish restaurant appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

The Turkish Ministry of Health has taken new preventive decisions for restaurants based on recommendations from the Scientific Committee.

The Ministry has published, through its website, a number of measures that all restaurants must take:

• The distance between the seating places must be not less than one meter.
• Windows must be opened in rooms and enclosed spaces during daily routine cleaning, and ventilated for at least one hour after cleaning.
• Particular attention should be paid to cleaning surfaces that are frequently touched by hands, especially door handles, batteries, stairs, telephone, toilet, and washbasin in public places.
• Restaurant staff should clean and wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and use alcohol-based disinfectants in the absence of soap and water.
• People with any signs of respiratory infection (fever, cough, respiratory distress, etc.) do not work until their complaint is resolved.
• People who deal with the personal belongings of guests will wash their hands immediately after these procedures or they will clean hands with alcohol-based materials.

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