Istanbul introduces limits to gatherings as virus spreads
The governor of Istanbul has banned boating companies from hosting weddings and similar gatherings as part of new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Turkey's most populous city.
The governor's office also reintroduced a ban on concerts and festivals in open spaces. A statement from the office late Friday said the restrictions were needed because people were not adequately heeding precautions like physical distancing and confirmed virus cases have increased.
The bans were to go into effect on Saturday but were postponed until Monday.
Coronavirus infections and deaths began increasing in Turkey after the government loosened restrictions on public activity in June, returning to levels last seen in mid-May.
On Friday, the Health Ministry announced 56 more deaths and 1,671 new cases, bringing the country's total death toll in the pandemic to 6,951 and cases to nearly 290,000.
Officials have cited engagement parties and weddings as a key source for new infections and introduced restrictions on social gatherings. Some turned to holding celebrations on party boats that cruise Istanbul's scenic Bosporus strait, which bisects the city of about 16 million.
On Saturday, Turkish soccer team Besiktas announced that technical director Sergen Yalcin had tested positive for the coronavirus during a check ahead of the club's next match.
Besiktas is one of the top soccer teams in Turkey.
Let us know if there is a problem with our content
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page.
For general inquiries, please use our contact form.
For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience
We keep our content available to everyone.
Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process
and policies.
Editors
have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Medical Xpress is a web-based medical and health news service that is part of the renowned Science X network.
Based on the years of experience as a Phys.org medical research channel, started in April 2011, Medical Xpress became a separate website.
Medical Xpress is a part of Science X network.
With global reach of over 5 million monthly readers and featuring dedicated websites for hard sciences, technology, smedical research and health news,
the Science X network is one of the largest online communities for science-minded people.