Life in Istanbul, Turkey during Covid-19

DESTINY. LOVE. DEATH.

I’m currently living in Istanbul. 17 million people. I’ve been blown away at how well the Turkish Government handled the COVID crisis right from the start. And more importantly, how people complied. I thought about it a lot when I was out for a walk today. Why? Why did the Turkish people, or why are the people complying with the enforced quarantines, social distancing, age-restricted isolation? And I came to one conclusion: LOVE.

Turkey is a Muslim country. In a big city like Istanbul, you see it all: the modern Turks, the small town Turkish women and men, and the more strict observers of Islam. But whether they show it outwardly or simply by their actions, they all share a respect for each other and their fellow man.

I read about other parts of the world where fights ensue because someone is asked by a store clerk to wear a mask or another place where someone opens fire and murders people in a store for similar reasons. Or people march to protest their right to do whatever they please during this pandemic. It’s disgusting to me.

When the first words of the pandemic came about, I quarantined my self. No one had to tell me. I’m older, high risk, and I’m in great health. But it would be stupid to expose myself if I could help it. I had a friend deliver groceries and I stayed inside. I’m lucky I could afford to do so. I write from home and socially it wasn’t that difficult to be alone. Until the last two weeks when anxiety took over and made me…