This article documents the timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.
January 2020 10 January The Ministry of Health set up the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board. It consists of 26 members specialized in Chest Diseases, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology. The number of board members increased later to 31 with the joining of expert academics in Virology, Internal medicine and Intensive care medicine. The board works out guidelines for the treatment by medicals and measures to be followed by the public, and updates them in context of the disease's course in the country.
24 January
On 24 January 2020, Turkey's health ministry installed thermal cameras at the airports. The ministry also decided to subject any passengers arriving from China to additional screenings and quarantine anyone showing the symptoms of the coronavirus infection. The screenings were later expanded to include countries that reported a high number of confirmed cases. Other precautionary measures on the airports included infrared guns, disinfection at all customs gates and the handing out of free surgical masks and instruction leaflets.
31 January
On 31 January, the Turkish government sent a plane to airlift 34 Turkish citizens and several others from Wuhan. The others include seven Azeris, seven Georgians and one Albanian. China ordered 200 million masks from Turkey in addition to Turkey's yearly production of 150 million masks.
February 2020
3 February
On 3 February, Turkey announced a stop of all the flights from China. The border with Iran was closed after the Iranian authorities didn't adhere to the advice of Turkey to quarantine the Iranian city of Qom. On the same day, Turkey announced its decision to stop all flights to and from Iran.
29 February
On 29 February, Turkey announced the termination of all flights to and from Italy, South Korea and Iraq. Soon after, the border with Iraq was also closed. The ministry also established field hospitals near the Iraq and Iran borders.
March 2020
8 March
Turkish cities carried out massive disinfection work in public places and mass transit vehicles. In Istanbul, the municipality decided to install hand sanitizers at stations of metrobuses. The Ministry of National Education also announced that they were using special disinfectants to keep schools clean against the virus threat. Minister Ziya Selçuk said that every surface open to contact at the schools is being sanitised, noting that vocational schools producing 100 tons of disinfectants daily supply the disinfectants for schools.
11 March
In the early hours of 11 March 2020 (UTC+03:00), Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced that a Turkish man who had contracted the virus while travelling in Europe was the country's first coronavirus case. The patient had been placed in isolation at an undisclosed hospital, and family members of the patient were put under observation.
12 March
Minister Ziya Selçuk organized a press conference on 12 March and announced that disinfection would be carried out in all schools after the closure. He said that the weekly curriculum would be structured and the necessary training and education support would be provided by EBA on the Internet and TRT on television, and they had taken whatever measures that were necessary to prevent interruptions and delays in educational programs. On 12 March, after a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the rest of the Turkish government, Press Secretary İbrahim Kalın announced that primary schools, middle schools, and high schools in Turkey will be closed starting from 16 March 2020 for a week. Universities will also be closed for three weeks. Sports matches will be played behind closed doors in stadiums until the end of April. The president also postponed all his overseas visits.
13 March
On 13 March, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca made an announcement via his official Twitter account, confirming that a relative of the first person infected with coronavirus had fallen ill with the disease and was taken under observation and necessary measures were taken. In the evening, it was announced that three other people in the same family had tested positive for coronavirus, and thus the number of confirmed cases in Turkey rose to five. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey announced that no visitors would be accepted to parliament between 13 and 31 March. On 13 March, Turkey announced its decision to stop all flights to and from Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands starting from Saturday at 08.00 am until 17 April. On the same day, Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül announced that meetings in all open and closed prisons, the use of family meeting rooms and transfers between prisons were delayed for two weeks.
14 March
On 14 March, following a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the two countries temporarily stopped land and air transportation. On the same day, Turkey and Georgia announced their mutual decision to close the Sarp Border Gate. Later in the evening, Koca announced that the number of confirmed cases rose to six, with a pilgrim who recently returned from Umrah testing positive.
15 March
On 15 March, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that between 16 and 30 March all libraries in Turkey will be closed. According to the statement made by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, 5,392 out of 10,300 citizens who returned from Umrah were quarantined in state dormitories in Ankara and 4,938 were quarantined in Konya. The Ministry of the Interior announced that pavilions, discotheques, bars and night clubs will be closed temporarily starting from 10:00 on 16 March. On the same day, Fahrettin Koca announced that the number of confirmed cases increased to 18, with 7 of the new cases originating from Europe and 3 cases originating from the United States.
16 March On 16 March, the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs announced a nationwide ban on prayer gatherings in mosques, including Friday prayers, due to the pandemic. Later that day, the Ministry of the Interior also sent a notice on coronavirus precautions to the 81 provinces of Turkey, temporarily closing all public gathering places such as cafes, gyms, Internet cafés and movie theaters, except shops and restaurants not offering music, starting 24:00 that evening. Fahrettin Koca announced that Egypt, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were added to the list of countries for which the flight ban was imposed. Koca also announced that the number of confirmed cases rose to 47, with new cases originating from Middle East, Europe and the United States. The Directorate of Communications announced that President Erdoğan will head a comprehensive coordination meeting on Wednesday to discuss plans for combating the new type of coronavirus and inform the public about the results afterwards.
17 March On 17 March, Minister Selçuk visited TRT studios where content related to the new distance education format was prepared, and stated that the new process was being reviewed to the finest detail, and that the planning and infrastructure preparations would be completed by the week of 23 March. Selçuk stated that the first lesson using this training technique would be given by him. Later that day, Minister Koca reported the first death from the coronavirus, an 89-year-old patient, while the number of confirmed cases rose to 98.
18 March On 18 March, President Erdoğan urged the public to stay at home and not to visit hospitals outside emergency cases. Erdoğan further stated that public banks will deliver pensions to retirees above the age of 76 to their homes, with the minimum amount of payment for retired people being 1,500. A 100 million economic measures package was also announced by the government to address financial issues of companies and low-income households. With this package the government promised to raise the Credit Guarantee Fund (KGF) limit, postpone tax liabilities, SGK premium payments and credit debts of employers in sectors most affected by the crisis, and make a resource transfer of 2 billion to families in need, among other measures. Later that day, Minister Koca announced the second death from coronavirus, a 61-year-old male patient. Koca further stated that the number of confirmed cases rose to 191 with 93 new cases. The Turkish Medical Association, TTB Specialist Associations, Public Health Experts Association, Turkish Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Association, Turkish Thoracic Society, and Turkish Intensive Care Association had a meeting on 17 March to evaluate the developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. In their paper, released on 18 March, they concluded that the pandemic poses significant dangers for healthcare workers and patients, adding that deficiencies in information and precautions have caused confusion, and insufficient information on drug use, lack of access to tests, and various other issues have made it difficult to combat the pandemic.
19 March On 19 March, it was reported that former commander in chief of the Turkish Army Aytaç Yalman died of coronavirus disease on 15 March 2020, aged 79. Later that day, one person had tested positive for coronavirus, and 45 co-workers and their family members were quarantined in Çeşme district of İzmir Province. Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu announced that football, volleyball, basketball and handball leagues were postponed. The Measuring, Selection and Placement Center postponed 9 exams, including TUS and MSÜ, which were planned to be held soon. The Directorate of Religious Affairs issued a circular to be sent to the provincial muftis, and stating that mosques would be kept closed on Friday. In a statement published on his Twitter account, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced that an 85-year-old woman had lost her life, adding that there were 168 new confirmed cases. The announced economic measures package, set to be provided by the government, was criticized by institutions and individuals, including economists and politicians. The lack of a detailed action plan was the center of criticism. Additionally, at a time when people were encouraged to stay at home, the government was criticized for allowing airline passenger transport and tax reductions that support tourism. Critics asked for lowering the down payment of housing loans and emphasized on the need to provide employment support to different sectors.
20 March On 20 March, Ministry of Health issued an order to declare all hospitals with at least two specialists in infections, pulmonology, internal medicine and clinical microbiology, including private and foundation hospitals, as coronavirus pandemic hospitals. Minister Koca reported that total number of confirmed cases and deaths rose to 670 and 9, respectively. Through a presidential statement, it was announced that all kinds of scientific, cultural, and artistic meetings or activities were postponed until the end of April. The Human Rights Association, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Association of Lawyers for Liberty, Contemporary Lawyers Association, and Health and Social Service Workers Union of Civil Society in the Penal System, also published a statement on the COVID-19 outbreak and urged for immediate action in prisons. In their article, they emphasized on informing the public, especially family and lawyers of prisoners, about quarantine practices and the health status of prisoners.Covid-19 Salgını ve Hapishanelerde Acilen Alınması Gereken Önlemler Free public transportation for people 65 years of age or older was temporarily suspended in Balıkesir, Konya and Malatya. Horse racing games were postponed until a second announcement is made in the future.
21 March