Ankara: Turkey has eased several Covid-19 restrictions in public spaces as the country has entered a new phase in the fight against the pandemic, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
“I would like to emphasise that the pandemic currently affects our social life much less than before,” the Minister told reporters at a press conference in the capital Ankara.
The fight against the virus will rely especially on vaccines, Xinhua news agency quoted Koca as further saying.
The country will fight the pandemic by individual measures and the citizens without symptoms will not be tested, he said.
Accordingly, the outdoor mask requirement is lifted, while masks will not be mandatory indoors when there is enough ventilation and if the distance rule is respected, Koca said.
A contact tracing app code will no longer be required while entering shopping malls or other public venues.
It will be enough to isolate infected students and education will continue in their classes.
Turkey has been gradually easing restrictions since 2021, while Omicron has become the dominant variant in the country.
In January, the Turkish government abolished the PCR test requirement for screening purposes and for close contacts of Covid positive individuals.
The test requirement for unvaccinated individuals is lifted to access public events.
Furthermore, Turkey has shortened the isolation period of Covid-19 patients to seven days.
Turkey has reported a total of 14,206,121 Covid-19 cases and 94,837 deaths.
