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Turkey Bans Gatherings in 14 Provinces to Fight Pandemic

Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk in a street of Ankara on August 26, 2020, as Turkey has reported 1,502 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) - the highest daily jump in more than a month. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk in a street of Ankara on August 26, 2020, as Turkey has reported 1,502 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) - the highest daily jump in more than a month. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)
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Turkey Bans Gatherings in 14 Provinces to Fight Pandemic

Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk in a street of Ankara on August 26, 2020, as Turkey has reported 1,502 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) - the highest daily jump in more than a month. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk in a street of Ankara on August 26, 2020, as Turkey has reported 1,502 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) - the highest daily jump in more than a month. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)

Turkey has reimposed preventive measures in light of the rapid spread of the coronavirus, and infections hitting a record level since mid-June.

The Interior Ministry said it was banning certain events and ceremonies in 14 provinces, including the capital, Ankara.

In a nationwide notice, it said weddings in the 14 provinces would be allowed for up to one hour only, saying celebrations or parties were banned.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a new presidential decree Wednesday that made an informal working model official.

Under the decree, all state institutions may now implement “flexible working methods” to prevent the COVID-19 outbreak.

The decree, which was published in the Official Gazette, allows civil servants to work from home and in rotated shifts, replacing a brief administrative leave with the continued but safe working plan.

It gave managers the right to define flexible work principles, procedures and relevant principles.

Employees who benefit from these flexible work methods will be considered to have already fulfilled their job duties during this period.

According to the decree, employees working from home or in rotation will be equal in terms of responsibility, as their financial, social and other personal rights will be preserved.

It stressed that employees on leave, working from home or in rotation will not be able to leave the scope of their workplaces without their managers’ permission.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s new coronavirus cases jumped on Tuesday to their highest level since mid-June at 1,502, according to Health Ministry data.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 24 more people died from COVID-19, bringing the country’s death toll to 6,163.

Daily cases were last this high on June 15 - two weeks after Turkey lifted a partial lockdown - when the country logged 1,592 cases.

Head of Turkey’s opposition Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) Ali Babacan said on Tuesday he had tested positive for coronavirus but was in good health, becoming the most high-profile Turkish politician to contract the disease.

“I just learned my COVID-19 test result is positive. Thank God, I am in good condition at the moment. My doctors said I needed to remain in quarantine with my family for some time. I will continue my work from home, God willing,” he said on Twitter.

Babacan, 53, also a former deputy prime minister, resigned from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party last July over “deep differences” about the direction of the party he helped found. In March he formed his rival political party.

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NATO's Longtime Chief Hands over to Former Dutch Premier Mark Rutte

Jens Stoltenberg reacts as the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte uses a hammer at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Jens Stoltenberg reacts as the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte uses a hammer at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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NATO's Longtime Chief Hands over to Former Dutch Premier Mark Rutte

Jens Stoltenberg reacts as the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte uses a hammer at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Jens Stoltenberg reacts as the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte uses a hammer at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 1, 2024. (Reuters)

One of NATO’s longest serving top officials, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, stepped down on Tuesday, handing over the reins to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the military alliance confronts some of the biggest challenges in its history.

The two men, who first sat together at NATO's table 14 years ago as the leaders of Norway and the Netherlands, greeted each other warmly outside the alliance's Brussels headquarters, before laying a wreath to fallen military personnel, surrounded by the flags of the 32 member countries.

"Mark has the perfect background to become a great secretary general," a visibly emotional Stoltenberg said as he ended a decade in office.

"He has served as prime minister for 14 years and led four different coalition governments, so therefore he knows how to make compromises, create consensus, and these are skills which are very much valued here at NATO," Stoltenberg said.

Rutte said that he "cannot wait to get to work." He said his priorities would be NATO's support for Ukraine, with the war now in its third year, increasing defense spending and strengthening partnerships that the alliance has established with other countries around the world, notably in Asia and the Middle East.

Rutte also underlined the importance of keeping the trans-Atlantic bond between the United States, Canada and Europe strong, and expressed confidence that he can work well with whoever is elected to the White House.

Surveys suggest the US election in November will be a close race. It could see the return of Donald Trump, whose bluster during his last term of office about low defense spending among European allies and Canada undermined trust of NATO member countries.

It became an existential challenge, as smaller members feared that the US under Trump would renege on NATO’s security pledge that all countries must to come to the rescue of any ally in trouble, the foundation stone the alliance is built on.

But Rutte said: "I know both candidates very well." He praised Trump for pushing NATO allies to spend more and for toughening their approach toward China. He also hailed the "fantastic record" of Vice President Kamala Harris and described her as "a highly respected leader."

"I will be able to work with both. Whatever is the outcome of the election," Rutte said.

Stoltenberg, NATO’s 13th secretary-general, took over in 2014, the year that "little green men" from Russia infiltrated Ukraine. Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula, sparking a defense spending buildup at the world’s biggest security alliance that gathered pace over his term.

His tenure was surpassed only by Dutch diplomat Joseph Luns, who spent 12 years in charge of NATO.

NATO secretaries-general run the HQ, drive the alliance's working agenda and speak on behalf of the 32-nation organization with one unifying voice. Continuity is usually the key word when they take up office.

Rutte becomes NATO’s top civilian official as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches the 1,000-day mark.

Russian forces are making advances in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s army has a shaky hold on part of the Kursk region in Russia, which has provided a temporary morale boost, but as casualties mount it remains outmanned and outgunned.

Rutte will have to find new ways to encourage support for Ukraine among the allies, whose ranks have swelled to 32 countries since the invasion as Finland and Sweden joined to seek protection from Russia under NATO's security umbrella.

Trump has been critical of US aid to Ukraine, and he suggested last week that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have made concessions to Russian leader Vladimir Putin before he launched his invasion in 2022.