Turkish florists demand coronavirus curfew exemption for Mother's Day
Turkish florists demand coronavirus curfew exemption for Mother's Day
Flower sellers want to be able to trade during the weekend curfew which coincides with Mother's Day this year.
3 min read
Turkey's cut flower exports industry is worth more than $100 million [Anadolu]
Turkish florists have called for authorities to exempt them from a weekend curfew designed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus as Mother's Day approaches.
Mother's Day is celebrated in Turkey this year on Sunday 10 May, when 30 major cities and one province will be subject to a 48-hour-long weekend curfew.
Ismail Yilmaz, head of the Central Anatolian Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters Association (OAIB), has called for florists to remain open on Sunday despite the restrictions on movement.
Flower shops should be allowed to receive orders by telephone and the internet and deliver to customers' homes, he said.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the Turkish flower industry hard, and not only due to restrictions on movement such as curfews.
Flower exports have completely stopped in the wake of the global crisis, Yilmaz said.
Turkey's cut flower industry exported more than $100 million worth of produce last year.
"The industry is suffering greatly from the pandemic. We even want to distribute flowers for free, but people do not accept this offer out of fear that they may get infected with the virus," Yilmaz was quoted as saying by the Demiroren news agency. "The closure of hotels was also another blow to the sector. We had to let the flowers rot."
Domestic sales have also dropped during the pandemic, he said, adding that many see flowers as a luxury item.
Top producers, such as the Netherlands, have not escaped the crisis either. The cut flower industry has been hard hit worldwide, with the pandemic causing estimates losses of more than $8.5 billion.
Turkey relaxes restrictions as case rise slows
Mother's Day is celebrated in Turkey this year on Sunday 10 May, when 30 major cities and one province will be subject to a 48-hour-long weekend curfew.
Ismail Yilmaz, head of the Central Anatolian Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters Association (OAIB), has called for florists to remain open on Sunday despite the restrictions on movement.
Flower shops should be allowed to receive orders by telephone and the internet and deliver to customers' homes, he said.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the Turkish flower industry hard, and not only due to restrictions on movement such as curfews.
Flower exports have completely stopped in the wake of the global crisis, Yilmaz said.
Turkey's cut flower industry exported more than $100 million worth of produce last year.
"The industry is suffering greatly from the pandemic. We even want to distribute flowers for free, but people do not accept this offer out of fear that they may get infected with the virus," Yilmaz was quoted as saying by the Demiroren news agency. "The closure of hotels was also another blow to the sector. We had to let the flowers rot."
Domestic sales have also dropped during the pandemic, he said, adding that many see flowers as a luxury item.
Top producers, such as the Netherlands, have not escaped the crisis either. The cut flower industry has been hard hit worldwide, with the pandemic causing estimates losses of more than $8.5 billion.
Turkey relaxes restrictions as case rise slows
Turkey plans to soon relax confinement rules on people aged-65 and over, and those under-20, as the country moves to a "new normal", President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.
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Since 21 March, around 7.5 million senior citizens have been under lockdown. The same restriction was brought in by the government for people aged under-20 in early April.
From Sunday, those aged over-64 will be able to leave their homes for at least fours a day, he added.
From 13 May, the same four-hour window will be extended to children aged under-15 - and two days later for those aged between 15 and 20, Erdogan said.
Barbers, hairdressers and shopping centres will be able to reopen on 11 May, the president added.
Turkey's death toll from the coronavirus is 3,520, according to the official figures as of Monday, while the number of cases has passed 129,000.
After recording more than 5,000 new cases in a single day in mid-April, the number of infections in a 24-hour period has declined substantially, with recoveries now overtaking new infections.
Agencies contributed to this report
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