FULL LOCKDOWN DECISION AND INTERCITY TRAVEL RESTRICTION TO CURB WITH THE SPREADING EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

As you are aware, the lockdown which was currently in effect, was being imposed between 7 p.m. until 5 a.m on weekdays and throughout the whole weekend pursuant to the previous Circular of the Ministry of Interiors dated 14 April 2021.

As per the announcement of the Presidency Cabinet dated 26 April 2021, it was decided to enforce a full lockdownand to impose intercity travel restriction in order to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

Following the decision of the Presidency Cabinet, the Ministry of Interiors have issued its public mandate titled “Circular on Full Lockdown Measures for 81 Provincial Governorships” dated 26 April 2021, whereby it is declared as follows:

1. The Lockdown

• Groceries, butchers and supermarkets may operate only between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the lockdown. Citizens will be able to go to the groceries, butchers, and supermarkets that are closest to their place of residence, provided that they do not use a vehicle (except for disabled citizens).
• Groceries, butchers and supermarkets will also operate on a delivery basis  between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the lockdown. Supermarkets will remain closed on Sundays.
• Restaurants, cafes and online food ordering companies will operate on a delivery-only basis for 24-hours until 13 May 2021, and until 1 a.m as from 13 May 2021.
• During the lockdown, all commercial enterprises, workplaces and/or offices will be closed and start working remotely, except for the places where staple food, medicine and cleaning products are sold and the workplaces within the scope of exemption in order not to disrupt the production, manufacturing, supplyand logistics chains.
• Hotel reservation will not provide exemption from the lockdown and/or intercity travel restrictions, and accommodation facilities will only provide service to those who have a travel permit due to compulsory circumstances.
• Foreigners in Turkey are also subject to lockdown, except for those who are in the country temporarily or for a short period of time within the scope of touristic activities

• Those who will be discharged from the hospital where they were receiving  treatment and return to their home of residence, those who are referred with a doctor report and/or have a previous doctor’s appointment,
• Those who will be accompanying his/her or his/her spouse’s first degree relative or sibling receiving hospital treatment (maximum 2 persons),
• Those who have come to a city within the last 5 days but do not have a place to stay and want to return to their place of residence,
• Those who will take the central exams announced by the Measuring, Selection and Placement Center (in Turkish “ÖSYM”).
• Those who are completed military service and want to return to their place of residence,
• Those received invitations from Private or public institutions for the signature of contract,
• Those who are released from penal execution institutions.

1. Members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (in Turkish “TBMM”) and its employees,
2. Those who are responsible for ensuring public order and security (including private security officers),
3. Public institutions and organizations and enterprises (airports, ports, border gates, customs, highways, nursing homes, elderly nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, Post Offices,, etc.) required for the maintenance of compulsory public services, employees and religious officials in places of worship, Emergency Call Centers , Vefa Social Support Units, Provincial / District Pandemic Control Centers, Migration Management, Red Crescent, AFAD and those who are assigned to activities within the scope of disasters and those who are voluntarily assigned, relegious leader and officers of cemevis,
4. Public and private health institutions and organizations, pharmacies, veterinary clinics and animal hospitals, and those working in such places, physicians and veterinarians,
5. Those who have a mandatory health appointment,
6. Workplaces carrying out activities related to the production, transportation and sales of medicines, medical devices, medical masks and disinfectants, and those working there,
7. Production and manufacturing facilities and construction activities and those working in such places,
8. Those who are working in the production, irrigation, processing, disinfection, harvesting, marketing and transportation of herbal and animal products,
9. Workplaces where products related to agricultural production such as agricultural pesticides, seeds, seedlings, fertilizers etc. are sold and those working in such places,
10. Companies engaged in domestic and international transportation (including export / import / transit passes) and logistics and their employees,
11. Those who are in charge of domestic and international transportation, storage and related activities in the transportation or logistics of products and/or materials (including shipping),
12. Hotels and accommodation facilities and those working in such places,
13. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television and internet media organizations, media monitoring centers, newspaper printing presses, those working in such places and newspaper distributors,
14. Petrol stations, tire repairers and their employees,
15. Vegetable / fruit and seafood wholesale markets and those working in such places,
16. Bakeries or licensed workplaces where bread production is made, the vehicles assigned in the distribution of bread and those working in such places,
17. Those who are in charge of burials (religious officials, hospital and municipality officials, etc.) and those who will attend the funerals of their first-degree relatives,
18. Large facilities and enterprises operating in the natural gas, electricity and petroleum sector and those working in these areas,
19. Those who are in charge of maintaining the transmission and repairment of infrastructure systems which must not be interrupted such as electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunication etc. and technical service employees,
20. Personnel of local administrations who will work in public transportation, cleaning, solid waste, water and sewage, anti-snow, spraying, fire brigade and cemetery services,
21. Drivers and officers of urban public transportation vehicles,
22. Employees (workplace doctor, security guard, guard etc.) who are required to be present at workplaces in order to ensure occupational health and safety of workplaces,
23. Those with “special needs” such as autism, severe mental retardation, down syndrome, and their parents/guardians or companions,
24. Information processing centers and employees of institutions, organizations and enterprises that have a widespread service network throughout the country, notably the banks,
25. Those who document that they will attend the central exams announced by the Measuring, Selection and Placement Center (their spouse, sibling, mother or father accompanying them) and exam attendants,
26. Restaurants and cafes in the rest and service facilities located on the side of intercity highways,
27. Lawyers, provided that it is limited to the execution of judicial duties such as compulsory attorneyship duties, attending the hearing, participating in interrogation,
28. The party or their attorneys who are required to attend to the courthouses for the mandatory duty and transactions related to the lawsuit and enforcement proceedings and those who will attend to the auction halls,
29. The vehicle inspection stations and those working there, and the vehicle owners who have vehicle inspection appointments,
30. Independent accountants, independent accountant and financial advisors, certified public accountants and their employees, depending on the reason for exemption and provided that it is limited to their departure/ arrival from their residence to their workplace,
31. Bank branches and employees that will operate with a limited number of branches and personnel between 10 a.m and 4 p.m.,
32. Notaries on duty and those working in such places.

• Non-governmental organizations, professional organizations in the nature of public institutions and their superior organizations, unions and cooperatives will not be allowed to participate in any kind of activities with broad participation, including the general assembly mettings, until 17 May 2021.
• Engagement and wedding ceremonies are suspended until 17 May 2021.
• All educational institutions, including kindergartens and nurseries, will continue their activities with distance education and all exams will be postponed.

Our Law Firm remains at your disposal for any further clarifications you may need.