Erdogan announced the control of the COVID-19 epidemic in Turkey

The Turkish government has managed to bring the coronavirus epidemic under control in the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

“We have largely been able to bring the pandemic under control thanks to the complete lockdown we have implemented during the month of Ramadan. At the cabinet meeting, we also discussed the second stage of gradual steps to normalize the situation in the country, which will begin after June 1, ”Hurriyet quotes Erdogan as saying at a press conference in Ankara.

Erdogan added that the authorities are working to vaccinate residents of all risk groups, and quarantine measures were taken not to "torment our people", but to quickly pass the "painful" period. The worst, the Turkish president believes, is behind us, but restrictive measures will still need to be observed for some time.

The Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that from May 17, the quarantine regime in the country is softened. In particular, trips in intercity public transport are allowed; shopping centers, hardware and haberdashery stores were allowed to work from 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays, and grocery stores and markets were given the opportunity to work on weekends, but only from 10:00 to 17:00.