Pre-Pandemic: Turkey

This is the Anatolian Houses Hotel (Cevizler Sk, 50180 Göreme Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey). The rooms were carved into the limestone cliffs with stone rooms as additions. This stone living room was connected via arched doorways into a bedroom that was carved into the cliff. The bathroom, also deep inside the cliff was a few steps up from the bedroom and had a large tub and plenty of pockets in the limestone walls to store towels and toiletries. Tiny windows carved in the walls overlooked the village below.

Another bathroom had deep holes in the floor covered in glass that fell away into the depths of the rock. The arched doorways between rooms had a definite disadvantage in that they were carved by someone who is less than 5 feet tall. I banged my head really hard one time as I was rushing to get out for a day of frantic sight seeing.

COVID-19 was confirmed to have reached Turkey on 11 March 2020, after a man who had returned to Turkey from Europe, tested positive. Turkey also surpassed China in confirmed total cases on 20 April 2020. As of June 29, 2020 Turkey had 5,115 deaths from COVID-19. ON April 11, 2020 the country had it’s highest single day of new cases with 5,138 cases in one day. The Government of Turkey announced that weekend curfews are in effect for all 81 provinces. The wearing of masks is required. A fine of 900 Turkish Lira will be imposed on those who do not comply. On 2 June, the Turkish Parliament resumed full activities for the first time in 48 days since a hiatus was declared due to the pandemic.

The Parliament started working under “new norms” including enhanced hygiene measures, use of masks and social distancing. Turkish parliament accepted a bill which could enable the release of up to 100,000 prisoners, including people responsible for deaths. However, the law excludes Turkey’s around 50,000 political prisoners, including journalists and human rights defenders, who are said to remain jailed despite overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions already posing severe health threat.