FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a videoconference with G20 leaders to discuss the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Huber Mansion in Istanbul, Turkey, March 26, 2020. Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey would impose a fresh lockdown next weekend as part of measures to halt the spread of COVID-19, having locked down 31 provinces last weekend.

Erdogan was speaking after a cabinet meeting. The 48-hour curfew lifted overnight covered all the country’ major cities including its commercial hub Istanbul, which is home to 16 million residents.