Coronavirus Stokes Tensions Between Erdogan and Istanbul’s Mayor
Istanbul as the epicenter of Turkey’s COVID-19 outbreak
Turkey finally releases epidemic figures: coronavirus epicenter in Istanbul
Istanbul’s legendary Atlas and Rexx cinemas have closed down due to financial problems. They had already suspended their operations due to the cornavirus, but amid growing financial problems, they have announced that they will not open their doors again.
Atlas Cinema, located on İstiklal Avenue in Taksim neighborhood, opened in 1949. The legendary movie theater was housed in an indoor arcade named Atlas Pasajı (Passage). With a street presence, it was one of the meeting points of people gathering in Taksim.
Istanbul Municipality reveals pro-gov’t trolls’ setup to smear opposition with public transportation
Istanbul Municipality has refuted claims on public transportation vehicles being overcrowded, as it shared “digital data” on their usage.
Pro-government trolls shared pictures of overcrowded buses in Istanbul’s European side on Twitter, accusing the municipality, which is run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), of not taking social distancing into account amid the increasing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
The coronavirus has resulted in many people changing their daily habits. People practicing social distancing as a measure against the virus are trying to meet their basic needs at home to the greatest extent possible. To that end, according to Istanbul Baker’s Chamber chair Erdoğan Çetin, bread sales at bakeries and markets have declined by 35 percent. Istanbulites who have began to bake their own bread at home shared their personal experiences and their methods of making bread.
Turks find unusual ways to prevent being infected with coronavirus
Serbian actor Darko Peric, the star of Netflix’s hit series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), said that if he hadn’t chosen the code name of “Helsinki” in the show, he would choose Istanbul.
In the Spanish series, every character has the name of a city as their code names.
The video of Peric saying he would choose Istanbul if he hadn’t chosen Helsinki was shared by thousands of Turkish Twitter users, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
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