TURKEY has banned flights from Britain until April 17, in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Any Brits with flights booked should contact their airline.
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The country is also temporarily closing cafes, sports and entertainment venues and is suspending mass prayers in mosques, after it identified its first 18 cases in the last week.
Turkey had already suspended flights between Turkey and Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Austria, Belgium and Sweden on March 14, but they added UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE to the list yesterday.
Swimming pools, concert and wedding venues and some restaurants will also be closed, and all activities and gatherings of non-governmental organisations will be postponed.
It is not clear how long the suspension will last.
Separately, Turkey also suspended mass prayers in mosques, although places of worship will be kept open for individual prayers.
Turkey has identified a total of 18 coronavirus cases, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday, up from six previously, marking the highest daily rise since it announced its first case last week. No deaths have been reported.
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Last Wednesday, Turkey became the last major economy to report an outbreak of coronavirus.
Since then, the government has ramped up measures to halt its spread, closing schools and universities, holding sports events without spectators and halting flights to many countries.
Separately, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said on Monday that all non-emergency court hearings would be delayed.
The Istanbul governor’s office said on Monday that Turkish citizens who request to return from nine European countries would be brought back by midnight on March 17 on condition that they are quarantined. They will be housed for 14 days in student dormitories in Istanbul, the city’s governor said.
Thousands of Muslims returning to Turkey from a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were taken into quarantine on Sunday.
The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) said on Monday the real number of cases may be higher than officially reported, and the recent trend indicated the epidemic could reach serious levels.
TTB head Sinan Adiyaman told a news conference: “We are hearing from doctors all around the country that the number of cases is much higher than 18.
“The picture emerging in the last few days suggests that the epidemic could reach serious levels. We advise those older than 65 to stay at home.”
