ISTANBUL (Ruptly) — Bars and restaurants in Turkey closed on Monday evening ahead of the month of Ramadan as a measure to curb the spread of the virus amid rising COVID-19 infection cases. The Islamic holy month starts on April 13 and ends on May 12 in Turkey this year.

During the month of fasting, restaurants, bars and cafes will only be able to offer takeaway or home delivery. Authorities have also closed mosques to tarawih prayers, a collective prayer performed every evening throughout the month, for the duration of Ramadan.

Business owners in Istanbul’s Taksim district deplored the measure.

Metin Can Alkan, a bar owner said:

Ramadan is an excuse, closing has nothing to do with Ramadan, this is like politics. In general, bars, bar staff, musicians, all of the people living in this sector are in a difficult situation. They are not able to pay the rents of the venues cannot be paid, most of the places had to close.

Bemoaned bar owner Kenan Usta said:

We have to close, there is nothing to do. From tomorrow onwards, we close. They say takeaway is allowed, but we don’t serve takeaway so we will have to close.

Turkey has registered 3,903,573 COVID-19 cases and 34,182 related deaths as of Monday, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.

Translations
Ramazan Teskin, Bar owner:

As cafe-bar employees, everyone is in a difficult situation. In this duration, even the big cafes that became brands, that were here for years have closed. The state’s help is like a joke, they don’t provide any help that could help businesses survive. Everyone is in a difficult situation. Okay, there’s a pandemic, but if one the one hand you hold crowded congresses with your own audience, and then say go work but at the same time close venues, this is a lack of sincerity. This is not a prevention measure, it’s an ideological approach.

Metin Can Alkan, bar owner:

Ramadan is an excuse, closing has nothing to do with Ramadan, this is like politics. In general, bars, bar staff, musicians, all of the people living in this sector are in a difficult situation. They are not able to pay the rents of the venues cannot be paid, most of the places had to close.

Kenan Usta, bar owner:

We have to close, there is nothing to do. From tomorrow onwards, we close. They say takeaway is allowed, but we don’t serve takeaway so we will have to close.

Kenan Usta, bar owner:

Twenty people were working here, we had to reduce [our workforce], now there are two [workers]. But it’s not like anything is happening, we are waiting, but there are no customers.