guarantee fund (kgf) limit, postpone tax liabilities, sgk premium payments and credit debts of employers in sectors most affected by the crisis, and make a resource transfer of ₺2 billion to families in need, among other measures. later that day, minister koca announced the second death from coronavirus, a 61-year-old male patient. koca further stated that the number of confirmed cases rose to 191 with 93 new cases. the turkish medical association, ttb specialist associations, public health experts association, turkish clinical microbiology and infectious diseases association, turkish thoracic society, and turkish intensive care association had a meeting on 17 march to evaluate the developments regarding the covid-19 outbreak. in their paper, released on 18 march, they concluded that the pandemic poses significant dangers for healthcare workers and patients, adding that deficiencies in information and precautions have caused confusion, and insufficient information on drug use, lack of access to tests, and various other issues have made it difficult to combat the pandemic. 19 march on 19 march, it was reported that former commander in chief of the turkish army aytaç yalman died of coronavirus disease on 15 march 2020, aged 79. later that day, one person had tested positive for coronavirus, and 45 co-workers and their family members were quarantined in çeşme district of i̇zmir province. youth and sports minister mehmet kasapoğlu announced that football, volleyball, basketball and handball leagues were postponed. the measuring, selection and placement center postponed 9 exams, including tus and msü, which were planned to be held soon. the directorate of religious affairs issued a circular to be sent to the provincial muftis, and stating that mosques would be kept closed on friday. in a statement published on his twitter account, minister of health fahrettin koca announced that an 85-year-old woman had lost her life, adding that there were 168 new confirmed cases. the announced economic measures package, set to be provided by the government, was criticized by institutions and individuals, including economists and politicians. the lack of a detailed action plan was the center of criticism. additionally, at a time when people were encouraged to stay at home, the government was criticized for allowing airline passenger transport and tax reductions that support tourism. critics asked for lowering the down payment of housing loans and emphasized on the need to provide employment support to different sectors. 20 march on 20 march, ministry of health issued an order to declare all hospitals with at least two specialists in infections, pulmonology, internal medicine and clinical microbiology, including private and foundation hospitals, as coronavirus pandemic hospitals. minister koca reported that total number of confirmed cases and deaths rose to 670 and 9, respectively. through a presidential statement, it was announced that all kinds of scientific, cultural, and artistic meetings or activities were postponed until the end of april. the human rights association, human rights foundation of turkey, association of lawyers for liberty, contemporary lawyers association, and health and social service workers union of civil society in the penal system, also published a statement on the covid-19 outbreak and urged for immediate action in prisons. in their article, they emphasized on informing the public, especially family and lawyers of prisoners, about quarantine practices and the health status of prisoners. free public transportation for people 65 years of age or older was temporarily suspended in balıkesir, konya and malatya. horse racing games were postponed until a second announcement is made in the future. 21 march on 21 march, minister koca has reported that the number of confirmed cases rose to 947 with a death toll of 21, following the death of 12 elderly patients. the ministry of the interior reported that, with the circular it sent to the 81 provincial governorships, military farewell ceremonies were temporarily suspended. in addition, it was announced that the activities of barber shops, hair dressers and beauty parlours were to cease by 6:00 pm. the ministry of agriculture and forestry banned barbecuing in gardens, parks and promenades. the ministry of transport and infrastructure announced that as of 5:00 pm flights to 46 more countries had stopped, thereby cutting air transport with 68 countries in total. the ministry of interior announced a total curfew for those who are over the age 65 or chronically ill. the announcement further stated that starting from midnight, restaurants, dining places and patisseries were to be closed to the public for sitting, and were only allowed to offer home delivery and take-away. fenerbahçe basketball announced that some players in its team and administrative staff had symptoms of the coronavirus disease. free public transportation for people over 65 was temporarily suspended in ankara, antalya and i̇zmir. 22 march with a presidential order, all bankruptcy and financial executives processes were stopped until 30 april, however obligations regarding alimony and child support payments remained in force. additionally, through a new statement issued by the president, public institutions and organizations were ordered to allow for alternating and flexible schedules and enforce remote working if possible. the ministry of the interior declared that the health workers, mayors, provincial directors, social service institutions officers, public servants, public service providers and pharmacists, especially doctors, were exempted from the curfew, which is enforced for the people aged 65 and over. the banks association of turkey also sent a notice to different banks across the country and limited their working hours to 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, which went into effect on 23 march 2020. 23 march at a press conference, koca announced that a drug called favipiravir, which was reported by chinese authorities to be effective in treating the disease, was imported and started to be administered to intensive care patients. koca also announced that healthcare workers would be paid an additional fee on their paychecks for 3 months. on the same day, fatih terim, a famous turkish association football manager and former player, was diagnosed with the covid-19. the remote classes for primary, secondary and high schools started on 23 march 2020 on trt eba tv, a channel created through the collaboration of trt and the ministry of education. it was decided that the grand bazaar in istanbul would remain open between 10.00 am-4.00 pm, however, entering and exiting would be controlled and done only through two doors. the youth and sports minister mehmet kasapoğlu announced that the number of people coming from abroad and quarantined at home was 11,269. 24 march the ministry of the interior issued a statement, announcing that markets could serve customers between 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, adding that the number of customers in every store needed to be limited to one tenth of its original number based on its area. in addition, it was announced that public transportation vehicles that work in and across the cities could fill up only 50% of their capacity with people at a time. import tariffs on ethanol, disposable medical masks, and ventilators have been lifted with presidential decrees. 25 march at the press conference held on 25 march, minister selçuk announced that remote teaching would continue until 30 april. it was announced that a football player and a healthcare professional from fenerbahçe football team, president of başakşehir f.k. göksel gümüşdağ, and journalist ali sirmen had tested positive for covid-19. president recep tayyip erdoğan delivered a speech to the nation. 26 march on the same day, yök president yekta saraç stated that there would be no in-person teaching at universities in the remainder of the spring semester, and that they would continue with remote education only. he added that the programs, courses and practical courses that could not be offered with distance education and digital education would be completed in the summer months. he announced that the higher education institutions exam was postponed to 25–26 july. with the decision of the ministry of trade, the export of respiratory equipment was permitted. tübi̇tak and the ministry of industry and technology launched the covid-19 turkey web portal. the minister of national education ziya selçuk announced that the high school entrance exams would be made only from the material covered in the first semester curriculum. during the pandemic, the first call for tender for istanbul canal was criticized by the opposition. the ministry of the interior postponed the meetings of the metropolitan, provincial, district, municipal municipalities and local administrative unions and provincial councils in april, may and june. kilyos and beykoz were determined as burial places in istanbul for those who lost their lives due to covid-19. in his statement, the mayor of istanbul ekrem i̇mamoğlu announced that they were expecting a controlled curfew for istanbul from the government. 27 march on 27 march, the ministry of the interior issued a new statement regarding gatherings during weekends, announcing that starting from 28 to 29 march, having picnics, fishing at the shores, doing outside physical exercises (including running and walking in the weekends in city and town centers) would be banned until the virus spread has been contained. it was also stated that, should they deem it necessary, local authorities may extend these new measures to weekdays. with the advice of the ministry of health, kendirli town in rize and yeniselimiye, beştepe, esentepe and maltepe villages close to the town were quarantined to prevent the spread of coronavirus. in a message published by the minister of national education twitter on 27 march, it announced that subjects that were set to be covered during the second semester were removed from the higher education institutions exam. also on 27 march, president erdoğan announced that all overseas flights were terminated, adding that intercity travel was subject to permission by the state governors, and that places such as picnic areas, forests and ruins would be closed on the weekend. public personnel selection examinations were postponed to september, october and november. friday prayers were done in beştepe national mosque with a limited number of people determined by the directorate of religious affairs. it was announced that public and private healthcare workers could not leave their posts for three months. 28 march turkish airlines announced that its domestic flights were restricted from istanbul and ankara to some metropolitan cities. the minister of transport mehmet cahit turhan was dismissed and adil karaismailoğlu was appointed to replace him. rüştü reçber, former captain of the national football team of turkey, announced that he had tested positive for covid-19. at the entrance and exit points of the cities, new measurements were enforced for the drivers and passengers. with the circular issued by the ministry of the interior, a "travel permit certificate" requirement was introduced for domestic air transportation. 29 march with the circular issued by the ministry of the interior, it was announced that from midnight, istanbul, ankara and i̇zmir would limit the number of commercial taxis by enforcing an even-odd system, according to the last digit on their registration plate. the decision was left to the governors for other provinces. with the decision taken by the governorships of istanbul and ankara, children were prohibited from entering bazaars and markets. 30 march on the same day, the presidential cabinet gathered for the first time using the teleconference method. speaking after the meeting, president erdoğan announced that 41 settlements were under quarantine. he also announced the initiation of a donation campaign called "we're enough for each other turkey" (biz bize yeteriz türkiyem). while the campaign was supported by representatives of the ruling party, members of the oppositions had a less favorable reaction to it. it was announced that the sea buses and ferry services that make intercity trips in istanbul would stop operating from 5:00 pm. the turkish medical association announced the number of confirmed cases and death figures by province. 31 march the mayor of istanbul, ekrem i̇mamoğlu, mentioned istanbul as the center of the pandemic in turkey, and reiterated the demand for a curfew in istanbul. kırklareli governor osman bilgin and a doctor in the grand national assembly tested positive for covid-19. through a circular issued by the ministry of the interior, the donation accounts set by the municipalities were blocked. türk-i̇ş leader ergün atalay issued a written statement on 31 march, demanding the banning of layoffs and asked for stopping all works for at least 15 days except those offering essential goods and services. atalay stressed the necessity of the rapid introduction of the unemployment insurance fund to address