Turkey says low risk of second outbreak, opens to controlled tourism

Turkey does not risk a second wave of infections from the new coronavirus at the moment, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, adding that Ankara was preparing to start what he called controlled health tourism with 31 countries as of Wednesday.

The Turkish public largely followed preventive measures against coronavirus, the country's health minister said Wednesday.

"The world does not yet know when the outbreak will end. But in Turkey, we have seen the results of our measures," Koca said during a news conference following a meeting of the country's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board.

"When daily numbers of coronavirus cases fall below 1,000, this drop will be an indicator of our success," he added.

Recalling curfew orders during the upcoming Eid holiday, he said "if we take precautions now, we will reap its benefits later on".

"We don't know how long the fight with the virus will continue, so we are planning life around the measures," Koca said.

As of Thursday, Turkish businesses will receive posters listing the rules to be followed to minimize the risk of spreading infection, said the minister.

"The mobile app by the Health Ministry will be used to track inter-city travel," he said.

The citizens will use the code from the app to show that they are not sick or carrying the virus and be able to board planes and trains within Turkey.

About the curfew imposed on the elderly, Koca said they might be allowed to leave for their hometowns for Eid, on the condition of not returning for 30 days.

In addition, Koca said the Turkish government is also planning to test passengers coming from abroad at airports and on land borders.

For re-opening cafes and restaurants in the country, a plan will soon to be shared with the public, added the minister.

A total of 4,199 people have died nationwide of the virus and 151,615 have contracted the infection, according to officials. Some 112,895 people have made a recovery.