A man blows bubbles on a street in Istanbul, Turkey, March 5, 2022. Turkish people have welcomed the government's decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces with caution since the country's daily cases remain at a high plateau. (Xinhua/Shadati)
ISTANBUL, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish people have welcomed the government's decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces with caution since the country's daily cases remain at a high plateau.
Turkish health authorities on Wednesday lifted the requirements of wearing face masks for outdoor activities and for indoor areas with effective ventilation. Entering public spaces such as shopping malls also no longer requires a health code, except for hospitals.
Wearing masks is still mandatory for public transport, according to the new decision.
The country's daily case number has been on a downward trend since early February but the seven-day average number is running well above 50,000 for the week of March 4.
Kadriye Ozdemir, manager of a women's clothing store in Istanbul's bustling Sisli district, said she was pleased with the rolling back of the outdoor mask mandates, but for the indoor ones it should be more cautious.
"I am still in favor of putting them on indoors where there is a large flow of people," she told Xinhua, adding wearing masks gives good protection against the virus.
During business hours, "up to 30 people can be inside, and everyone is on the move, with some coughing, others sneezing," she said.
And she believes masks should still be obligatory in indoor places with good airflow or ventilation.
"I will keep reminding my clients to put on their masks in the store," she noted.
Ayse Yavuzer, a 73-year-old Istanbul resident who said she has closely complied with all health guidelines, still got infected recently with the Omicron variant.
"I am against the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the lifting of wearing masks outdoors. Everyone around me thinks the same," Yavuzer told Xinhua.
"My family and I will continue to wear a mask. I will not meet friends and will continue to walk alone," she said, adding she would also avoid shopping malls and restaurants.
Meanwhile, Sude Yildiz, a high school senior student from the western coastal city of Izmir, told Xinhua that she was happy to take off the mask which was "really breathless" to wear outside, but said she would keep them on indoors as her friends were lately infected because of "carelessness."
Alper Sener, a specialist in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology at Izmir Katip Celebi University, said it would be very ambitious to say pandemic is over as daily cases are still around 50,000.
"But the priority of the pandemic has changed," Sener was quoted by local media as saying. "The vaccination rate in the group over the age of 65 is very high. That gives us self-confidence, and the number of patients in intensive care units has been decreasing each passing day."
The daily cases in five metropolitan Turkish cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, have decreased by half compared to the previous weeks, noted Sener, also a member of the Health Ministry's Scientific Committee. ■
People are seen on Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, March 5, 2022. Turkish people have welcomed the government's decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces with caution since the country's daily cases remain at a high plateau. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Ayse Yavuzer, a 73-year-old Istanbul resident, is pictured on a street in Istanbul, Turkey, March 3, 2022. Turkish people have welcomed the government's decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces with caution since the country's daily cases remain at a high plateau. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Kadriye Ozdemir, manager of a women's clothing store, is interviewed in Istanbul, Turkey, March 3, 2022. Turkish people have welcomed the government's decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces with caution since the country's daily cases remain at a high plateau. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A woman walks on a street in Istanbul, Turkey, March 3, 2022. Turkish people have welcomed the government's decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in public spaces with caution since the country's daily cases remain at a high plateau. (Xinhua/Shadati)
