Turkey ends nationwide weekend coronavirus curfew

ANKARA

Turkey ended a nationwide weekend curfew early Monday aimed at helping to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

The curfew began on Friday at 9 p.m. and ended on Monday at 5 a.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week announced new coronavirus restrictions, including a curfew on weeknights and full weekend curfews.

Some sectors, including production, supply, health and agriculture, are exempt, said Erdogan.

Supermarkets, grocery stores, butchers and dried fruit shops operate between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends.

Bakeries are also open during weekend curfews.

Restaurants, meanwhile, only offer delivery service between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The announcement came after a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey.

The curfews will continue until a new decision is taken.

On Sunday, Turkey reported 30,402 new COVID-19 infections, including 6,093 symptomatic patients, and saw 195 more deaths over the past 24 hours.