Country Lets Kids Out for First Time in 40 Days

Turkey is considering testing tourists this summer
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 13, 2020 7:05 PM CDT
Country Lets Kids Out for First Time in 40 Days
Children wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus walk in Kugulu public garden, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, May 13, 2020.   (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkey's parks filled with the sound of children Wednesday as the government allowed people ages 14 and under to leave home for the first time in 40 days. As the Turkish government continues to loosen some of its coronavirus restrictions, the country's youngest residents may now venture out for four hours a day between 11am and 3 pm. People in the 15-20 age group will be able to leave homes for a few hours a day starting Friday. In the capital, Ankara, young children wearing masks took turns on the slides and swings at Kugulu Park, the AP reports. An adjacent street teemed with pedestrians, and police urged the public to abide by social distancing practices

The Turkish government set out a "normalization plan" as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases dropped, but warned of tougher measures if infections rise again. Senior citizens were briefly allowed out for the first time in seven weeks on Sunday. Malls, hairdressers, barber shops, and hair salons were allowed to reopen Monday. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday the country is considering testing visitors from abroad as part of plans to open the tourism season in June. Koca said the government is thinking about screening people upon arrival in Turkey with the more sensitive molecular tests rather than with rapid-testing methods.

(More Turkey stories.)

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