Turkey braces for strictest lockdown, but tourists are free to roam

dpa Istanbul Turkey is bracing for its harshest lockdown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but the tourism minister assured foreign visitors t...

dpa Istanbul Turkey is bracing for its harshest lockdown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but the tourism minister assured foreign visitors that they are exempt from all restrictions.“Our most visited and important museums and archaeological sites will remain open,” Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on Tuesday, according to state news agency Anadolu.The nationwide shutdown starts on Thursday until May 17 to stem the spread of the coronavirus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after Monday’s cabinet meeting.While announcing the closure of all businesses - except those deemed exempt by the Interior Ministry, such as health care and agriculture - Erdogan didn’t mention any additional stimulus packages for people impacted by loss of income and already under severe financial strain.But foreign tourists are free to roam. Turkey’s important tourist destinations “are both open and much more pleasant,” Ersoy said. “In some ways, being a tourist in Turkey is beneficial.” The economy has been devastated by the pandemic, as has the crucial tourism industry, with 70-per-cent fewer visitors last year than in 2019.New daily infections crossed an all-time high of more than 60,000 earlier this month. In the last 24 hours, more than 37,000 cases were reported in the country of 84 million.The total number of infections has crossed 4.6 million since last March, while the death toll is more than 38,700.The upcoming three-week-long shutdown will include the Eid holidays after the fasting month of Ramadan.