Turkey imposes coronavirus curfew on under-20s, locks down dozens of cities

A raft of new restrictions to limit the continuing spread of Covid-19 have been announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including shutting the borders of 31 cities to vehicles – except those carrying vital supplies – for 15 days.

Face masks must be worn in crowded places, Erdogan added. Turkish residents aged over 65 and those with serious medical conditions had already been told to stay at home, and this order is now being extended to people aged under 20. The new measures kick in at midnight on Friday.

The country’s health minister said earlier that the death toll from the outbreak had risen by 69 people to 425, while the total number of confirmed cases is close to 21,000. Istanbul has by far the highest number of cases, at over 12,200.