Government of Turkey

Turkish politician Haydar Baş died on April 14 after contracting the novel coronavirus. He was 73.

Baş, the leader of the Independent Turkey Party (BTP), was in intensive care in a state hospital in the Black Sea province of Trabzon.

The politician was buried in his family cemetery after funeral prayers in the Akçaabat district.

Turkey will impose a fresh lockdown next weekend as part of measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, after a 48-hour curfew in 31 provinces that ended at midnight.

Turkey will continue with its weekend curfews to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the country's president announced on April 13, with the next curfew to be imposed on April 18-19.

"As part of the fight against the epidemic, we decided to continue the curfew on weekends as needed in the coming period," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said following a three-hour virtual Cabinet meeting.

The fight against the coronavirus requires joint efforts, cooperation and solidarity. This was the common stance shared by the Heads of State of Bulgaria and Turkey Rumen Radev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who held a telephone conversation on the initiative of the Turkish president, the presidential press office reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday rejected Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu's resignation after a midnight meeting between the two men.

Turkey's state Communications Directorate said in a statement that Erdogan "did not find the request [to resign] suitable".

President Tayyip Erdogan rejected the resignation on Sunday of Turkey's interior minister, who said he was stepping down in the wake of a short-notice coronavirus lockdown which sent people rushing to shops to stock up on supplies.

Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Twitter on April 12 that he was resigning from his post over the implementation of a two-day curfew in major Turkish cities to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on April 13 that he will not leave office after his resignation decision was rejected by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on late April 12.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has rejected Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu's resignation, according to a statement by the Communications Directorate.

"The resignation of our interior minister has not been accepted by the president, he will continue his duty," the directorate's statement said.

Nearly 64 million citizens spent the weekend at home after the government announced on April 10 a 48-hour curfew for a total of 31 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Residents in some cities in the past couple of weekends hit the streets and flocked to parks dodging social distancing rules.