Orhan Onur Gemici
26 March 2020•Update: 26 March 2020
ANKARA
The Turkish Interior Ministry on Thursday issued a notice to all 81 governor's offices, postponing metropolitan, provincial, district, and local administrations' plenary sessions that were scheduled to be held in April, May and June.
The decision came as part of efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), said the ministry in a statement.
The planned plenary sessions of these administrations for April, May and June are now postponed until further notice.
In case of force majeure, local administrations may hold extraordinary meetings within under relevant legislation to prevent any interruption to local duties as long as necessary health measures are taken, added the statement.
Turkey continues to take several measures in the areas of economy, trade, education, and health to stem the spread of the virus.
Coronavirus death toll reached 59 in Turkey, out of 2,433 infected patients, the country's health minister said late Wednesday night.
After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the infection has spread to at least 175 countries and territories.
The number of confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed 472,100 while the death toll is over 21,300 and almost 114,900 have recovered, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
* Writing by Merve Gul Aydogan Aglarci.
