Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a nationwide "full closure" from Thursday until May 17 to curb a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.
It will include a continuous lockdown, school closures and intercity travel restrictions.
Total daily cases of the virus peaked above 63,000 on April 16 before dropping sharply to below 39,000 on Sunday, while the daily death toll has remained above 300 for the past week.
All intercity travel will need approval from authorities and all schools will close classrooms, Mr Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting.
He said manufacturing and food businesses would be exempt from the new restrictions.
Daily case numbers must fall below 5,000 by the end of Ramadan, or about May 12, Mr Erdogan said.
Doctors in Turkey have been urging a lockdown during Ramadan, expecting cases to continue rising as families get together during the holy month.
This month Mr Erdogan brought in a weekend lockdown that limited restaurants to take away and delivery only, and imposed a curfew from 9pm to 5pm.
In March, he lifted pandemic restrictions in the hope of boosting the fragile Turkish economy.
Turkey's current wave of coronavirus is the worst it has seen since the start of the pandemic, and doctors say 75 per cent of cases are of the more virulent strain identified in Britain.
Coronavirus around the world: in pictures
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Workers build new platforms to cremate bodies outside a crematorium amid a surge in the coronavirus deaths in India's capital New Delhi. Reuters -
A nurse wearing a personal protective equipment gets ready for work at the Covid-19 intensive care unit of Vibhavadi Hospital in the Thai capital Bangkok. AFP -
An empty street in the Shimbashi area of Tokyo amid a state of emergency in the Japanese capital. Getty Images -
People wait to receive a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination centre in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. Reuters -
People enjoy a sunny day at the Spanish Steps during the last weekend in the orange zone, in Rome, Italy. Most of Italy is set for a significant easing of its Covid-19 colour-coded restrictions from April 26, 2021. EPA -
A deserted road near the Cologne Cathedral during the nightly curfew in Cologne, Germany. Getty Images -
Regina King, left, and Aldis Hodge arrive at the red carpet of the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The Oscars was held two months behind the schedule because of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic on cinema. AP Photo -
Server Christopher Lee-Caron, of Provincetown in Massachusetts, centre left, carries food to customers at Tin Pan Alley restaurant. AP Photo
