Turkey imposes 48-hour total lockdown as coronavirus death toll surpasses 1000

Istanbul, Ankara and other major Turkey cities locked down for two days from midnight on Friday to curb the spread of the coronavirus as the country’s death toll from the pandemic rose above 1,000

The restrictions were imposed in 31 provinces across the country and scaled up existing curbs, under which people under the age of 20 and over 65 have been told to stay at home.

Ankara has also halted all international flights, restricted domestic travel, closed schools, bars and cafes, and suspended mass prayers. But people have still been going to work to sustain economic activity.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by 4,747 and 98 people died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 1,006.

The new curbs, which extended across provinces from Istanbul and Kocaeli in the northwest to Diyarbakir and Van in the southeast, will remain in force until midnight  on Sunday,