Turkey has one of the highest corona incidence levels in the world. There are curfews across the country, but Istanbul is bustling with tourists who love to shop – they are welcome for good reason.
By Oliver Mayer-Rüth, ARD-Studio Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on television on Monday evening that the corona numbers were always transparent. This statement made many Turks sit up and take notice – until November 25, the Ministry of Health only published the daily numbers of those seriously ill with Covid-19. As pressure from doctors, scientists, and the public increased, the government adapted to the practice of most countries around the world and began to publish the number of those who tested positive every day.
Since then, the number has been a little over 30,000 new infections per day – accordingly, Turkey is one of the countries with the highest incidence worldwide: According to Johns Hopkins University, it was yesterday at almost 1200 new infections in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants.
On November 30, Erdogan pulled the ripcord and ordered nightly curfews between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., and on weekends from Friday evening to Monday morning. As in the spring, people over the age of 65 and under 20 are only allowed to go outside for a few hours a day.
The authoritarian head of government said in his address on Monday that the positive effects of the restrictions can now be seen. He didn’t get any specifics, but immediately announced that the New Year’s Eve, which is sometimes celebrated excessively in Istanbul, will be canceled this year: Turks have to stay at home from December 31st from 9:00 p.m. until the morning of January 4th. Since January 1st is a public holiday and the two following days fall on a weekend, the already practiced weekend lockdown is extended by one day.
Tourists are still strolling along the Istiklal
As in the spring, Erdogan has the country’s economic situation firmly in view when taking measures to contain the virus. The state only announces positive numbers when it comes to the economy. According to the Turkish statistical office in September, unemployment was the lowest in the last 22 months at 12.7 percent and growth rose to an incredible 6.7 percent in the third quarter.
But observers are just as skeptical of these numbers as the very low daily corona cases, which until recently were intended to suggest to the Turkish public and the world that everything was under control. The online newspaper “Duvar” quoted a Turkish trade unionist at the beginning of the week as saying that since the beginning of the pandemic, the statistical office’s calculations have lost all reference to reality.
The economic pressure is reflected on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street during the curfew at the weekend: tourists from Arab countries stroll alongside Russians and Ukrainians on the main shopping street of the European part of the metropolis.
In between, men with bandages on their heads can be seen again and again – hair transplants are in demand even in times of pandemics and Istanbul is the Mecca of hair transplants. Most of the shops on the Istiklal and some exchange offices are open on weekends despite curfew.
State rent subsidies – a drop in the ocean
Turkey urgently needs foreign currency – and the income from the few tourists who, despite the pandemic, are not afraid of a trip to the Bosporus. Müberra Eresin, chairman of the Turkish Hotel Association, says 25 to 30 percent of hotel beds in Istanbul are currently occupied. Flights to Turkey are still possible.
Apparently, the Turkish government assumes – in contrast to most other countries in the world – that tourists from abroad are not a notable factor in the containment of the pandemic.
In order to reduce the losses of many smaller companies and businesses in the country, the president has promised more than one million traders 1,000 Turkish lira per month for three months. That is a little more than 100 euros. In addition, there is a rent subsidy of 750 Lira – a drop in the ocean for many, because according to an extrapolation from 2019, the average rent for the companies concerned is around 5000 Lira per month.
In contrast to other countries in Turkey, Erdogan is likely to stick to the “lockdown light”. A real lockdown, as it is in Germany today, could apparently not afford the country – despite the economic figures published by the statistical office, which look brilliant.
