Malls reopen, antivirus measures eased as Turkish economy teeters
Shopping malls, barber shops and some stores reopened across Turkey Monday as the government rolled backed coronavirus precautions with aims to bolster the battered economy.
ISTANBUL — Wearing face masks and standing meters apart, Istanbul residents lined up outside reopened shopping malls Monday as urban areas across Turkey began to ease coronavirus measures in a cautious effort to resume normalcy as new infections continue to decline in the country.
For the first time in nearly two months, shopping malls, barbershops, hair dressers and some stores reopened in Turkey today as citizens sought to get back to work and lawmakers looked to bolster an economy battered by the global pandemic.
Strict social distancing and hygiene provisions remain in place, with shoppers’ temperatures screened at mall entrances, but not all eligible stores reopened for business as managers remain wary of the threats posed by the novel coronavirus, which in Turkey has been most prevalent in Istanbul with about 60% of cases recorded nationally.
An employee who requested to remain anonymous at the Kanyon mall in Istanbul's Levent district said 16 of about 160 stores in the shopping complex had opened Monday.
