Turkey lifts most pandemic restrictions as new cases plateau

Turkey has eased nearly all pandemic restrictions on businesses and events, and lifted nighttime and Sunday curfews amid a drop in new infections

ISTANBUL -- Men are playing cards and backgammon at their local coffeehouses again, movie theaters are being cleaned before their first evening screening and bars are serving beer and chips in Istanbul’s famous pedestrian avenue. Turkey has eased nearly all pandemic restrictions on businesses and events starting Thursday, and lifted nighttime and Sunday curfews as new infections remain steadily below recent record high levels. “We no longer have the patience to stay at home in both the financial and the spiritual way,” 42-year-old gig worker Fatih Aydin said. An interior ministry circular said restaurants, which re-opened weeks ago, and wedding parties no longer have to limit the number of guests but must still abide by social distancing rules. Only hookah shops are still closed.