Parliaments in Times of Pandemics: The Case of Turkey

A. Functioning adaptation measures

1. Suspension of legislative work

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey held its regular sessions until April 17. Parliamentarians wearing masks were seated to ensure that safety distances during the plenary sessions.
The first two weeks of April, the Parliament of Turkey held sessions even during the weekends to pass the required legislations about pandemic-related issues.
On 14 April 2020, Turkey’s parliament ratified a penal reform bill aimed at reducing the sentences of thousands of prisoners, paving the way for their release in a bid to ease overcrowding and protect them from the coronavirus. Sex crimes that oﬀend the public’s conscience as well as drug crimes, first degree murder, crimes of violence against women and terrorist crimes were excluded from the reform. The reform will enable home confinement for some inmates over 65, women who have children aged six and under and sick prisoners who cannot take care of themselves. But it will toughen sentences on those who organize criminal groups for the purpose of monetary profit. The reform will also bring measures for inmates with communicable diseases. The measures will roughly double the number of beneficiaries of alternative penal arrangements from about 45,000 to 90,000 in home confinement due to such illnesses.
On 16 April 2020, Turkey’s parliament ratified a bill to alleviate the eﬀects of the novel coronavirus on economic and social life.
The parliament of Turkey was suspended its sessions until May 15.

2. Establishing health security measures

Within the framework of Planning the Healthcare System Capacity, Turkey introduced some changes to its healthcare system long before the first COVID-19 case was detected in the country.

The Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board was set up on 10 January with of 38 members, including university professors and medical experts specialized in Pulmonology, Infectious Diseases, Clinical Microbiology, Virology, Internal Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine and a legal adviser. The board works out guidelines for the treatment by medicals and measures to be followed by the public, and updates them in context of the disease’s course in the country. The board reports to the Health Minister. The implementation of the measures is carried out by the government. Almost every board member is invited by television, radio and newspapers to inform and warn the public about the coronavirus and personal protection as well as to prevent information pollution in the social media.
After the first death on 9 January 2020 in Wuhan, the “2019-nCoV Disease Guide” prepared by the Scientific Board was published by the Ministry of Health on 14 January. In the guide, general information on the care and isolation process for patients are written in detail for healthcare workers, and the symptoms helpful for the identification and confirming a case and the procedures to be followed after the identification are also included. Following the emergence of new information and further developments, the information on the guide has been updated.
To spread information on COVID-19, the Ministry of Health prepared booklets that were distributed to the Provincial Health Directorates, all health units and public institutions. The booklet included information on the definition of the virus, symptoms of the disease and methods of transmission.
Hospitals with a certain number of infection control experts, adequate number of personnel and physical infrastructure, including private hospitals were designated as pandemic hospitals.
In January, Turkey developed training modules for healthcare staﬀ to prepare its healthcare system to the outbreak. All healthcare staﬀ members had already been trained by the time when the first case was detected in Turkey.
Even though Turkey already has a very strong intensive care capacity, it was increased in such a way as to respond to even the worst case scenario.
A comprehensive follow-up strategy has been developed under “Comprehensive Contact Tracing and Stock Planning.” Contact tracing was performed by the MoH for all cases and 97.5% of all contacts have been identified and tested.
Test kits and protective gear for health workers have being produced domestically.
Testing capacity has been increased considerably. Today, the average number of tests performed daily is over 40 thousand.
Joint eﬀorts were kicked oﬀ with the private sector to manufacture ventilators.
Turkey sent medical supplies including test kits, protective masks, KN95 masks and protective gears to 34 countries and total number of countries that demand medical supply support is 104.
The Ministry of Health has made eﬀective use of social media to inform the public and share accurate information. The Minister of Health has held daily briefings.
The Ministry of Health has successfully isolated the virus in its own laboratories. This achievement has paved the way for further research in vaccine development in research organizations, including universities and laboratories. The Ministry has also developed a database for innovative COVID-19 related projects.

B. Restrictive measures

Partial curfew has been implemented. A curfew was imposed or people below 20 and over 65, quarantines have been enforced in certain parts of the country.
All the needs of those subject to this curfew were met by the government and local administrations. Several municipalities have introduced measures to meet the needs of these age groups, such as buying their groceries and providing regular medications.
The international flights were completely terminated on 28 March 2020, the intercity trips could only be done with the permission of the governorships, pandemic boards would be formed by the governorships, and that these decisions would be implemented meticulously in 30 metropolitan areas.
Entry and exit bans were introduced to provinces with high number of cases.
All recreational areas and shopping malls were closed down and mass gatherings were cancelled.
Flexible working opportunities were introduced for public employees. Both the public and private sectors have taken measures for working remotely or with flexible hours in an eﬀort to keep more people in their houses.
In order to minimize the risks faced by the ones who have to leave their homes, the use of masks in public areas were made mandatory.
A “2-Day Curfew” was announced on 10 April 2020 by the Ministry of the Interior, adding that that curfews would be imposed on two consecutive days in 30 metropolitan municipalities as well as Zonguldak. The government has continued to declare state of emergency during weekends and national holidays in April.
It was announced that all meetings between convicts and lawyers and the transfer process for detainees from one prison to another would be postponed to a later date.
The Ministry of Justice announced an emergency action plan based on the Scientific Board’s recommendations. The plan contains measures such as closing prisons to visitors until the end of April, looking for convicts who had spent time abroad before their first detention period during the pandemic, and keeping detainees and convicts who come to the institution for the first time in a separate area for 14 days.
With the proposal of the Scientific Board on 10 April, it was agreed that the measures will be carried out at least until 30 April 2020.

C. Supportive measures

The government unveiled a 200 billion Turkish Lira (approx. $30 billion) stimulus package.
It aims at easing the burden on the most vulnerable sectors.
Cuts in municipality budgets were postponed for three months, allowing access to TL 3 billion in additional funding.
Turkey has postponed rental payments for three months on several types of state-owned immovable properties.
Municipalities and their sub-institutions will also be able to postpone water bills for three months for private homes and companies.
Municipalities will also be able to provide financial support to natural and legal persons who have public transport certificates or postpone several types of payments to provide uninterrupted public transport services.
Annual advertisement and environment taxes of enterprises that have been forced to close as part of measures to contain the coronavirus will not be collected during this period.
Supportive measures include the postponement of VAT and insurance payments by corporations for six months, the provision of cash to the sectors most at need, support for the banks, and the postponement of credit card and debit payments owed by citizens to public banks.
Payments on student loans have also been postponed for three months, while those on some agricultural loans have been postponed until next year.
Travel agencies will not pay fees to their unions in 2020.
Some licenses, permissions and general assemblies have been extended for licensed warehouses, commercial ships, associations, cooperatives and unions.
Research and development and design support has been expanded.
If necessary, the treasury can support medical colleges and their subsidiaries.
Non-payment of services by the elderly and disabled at care centers has been extended for three months.
The country will provide support of 39.24 Turkish liras (about $5.70) per day to workers forced to take unpaid leave due to the coronavirus outbreak for three months. Their general health insurance payments will also be covered by the state.
The government also announced that for three months, it would pay 60% of the salary of those at firms forced out of business due to a force majeure, such as the pandemic. With this short-term employment allowance, the government also makes direct transfers – within the range of TL 1,752 to TL 4,381 – to employees’ bank accounts.
To help shield retirees from the outbreak’s negative eﬀects, the minimum pension was raised to TL 1,500, with bonus payments moved to earlier dates. Upon request, public banks will also deliver payments to pensioners’ homes.
The government has started providing 4.4 million families in need with TL 1,000 as part of the first and second stages of a social aid program, while preparations are underway for the third stage.
State lenders announced a low-interest credit package of up to TL 10,000 for families with monthly incomes under TL 5,000.
Workers’ contracts cannot be nullified for a three-month period except in unconscionable situations.
Dividend payments of companies with share capital have been limited.
Some operations of Turkey’s Wealth Fund have been postponed.
Companies are prohibited from inflating prices of goods. Actions which prevent products from reaching consumers have also been prohibited.\
The country will form a supervisory committee to prevent price gouging and stockpiling.

D. International Solidarity

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions. Turkey will continue to support its allies, friends and those in need around the world. This is not a matter of politics but our country’s humanitarian approach and model of international solidarity.

Turkey has so far delivered aid to at least 57 countries around the globe to help their fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
After getting aid requests from over 100 nations, Turkey has sent aid, medical supplies, and protective equipment to five continents, including countries badly hit by the virus, such as the USA, UK, Italy, and Spain.
The aid packages include such items as testing kits, medical masks, protective overalls, gloves, and disinfectants.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge thanked Turkey for helping many countries and showing “international solidarity” during the pandemic.

The Honourable Emine Nur Gunay is a member of the Turkish Parliament. After she graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Economics in 1984 she also completed her completed his master’s degree in economics at Vanderbilt University, and received his Ph.D. She started to work as a lecturer at Boğaziçi University International Trade Department in 1995, became an Associate Professor in 2006, a Professor in 2013 and continued his academic position until 2015. She became the Head of the International Trade Department in 2000-2002, founded the Innovation and Competitive Focused Development Studies Research Center in 2011 and served as the founding director until 2015. Honourable Gunay was appointed as the Economy Advisor of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in November 2014 and continued this duty until 2015 when she was elected as a member of parliament.