Erdogan halts flights, rail travel in bid to contain virus

Turkey's president announced a set of additional measures aiming to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus, including halting all international flights and limiting travel between cities.

The measures announced Friday came hours after the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Turkey surpassed the 5,000 mark, while the death toll hit 92.

In a late-night address to the nation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said intercity travel would be subjected to approval from the local governor.

Private businesses would emulate the public sector by working with the minimum amount of staff and adopt flexible working hours, Erdogan said, while passengers traveling on public transport would be seated separately.

Picnic grounds would be closed down at weekends and soldiers would be placed in quarantine when they begin and end their military service.

Erdogan said a "pandemic board" would be formed in all provinces to monitor the measures and take additional precautions if necessary.