![]() The fines for not wearing a mask were very high, and TV screens were filled with images of police officers punishing non-compliers. The state acted not as a nanny but as a guardian. The new normal is a situation in which citizens would be compelled to act cautiously depending on their own calculation of risk and minimum intervention coming from the state. Government officials continuously upbraided the citizens for not following these protective measures, shared the images of non-compliers, and accused the society of spreading the virus. Health Minister Koca defined the new normal as controlled social life and urged individuals to observe social distancing measures, to follow hygiene and to wear masks. In fact, the new normal was not just a gradual lifting of the restrictions but also a gradual shifting of responsibility for the spread of the pandemic, from the state to the citizens. The government officials labeled the process of gradual lifting of restrictions as the " new normal". More importantly, the tourism season was approaching and the government, ignoring overwhelming evidence that tourism was one of the hardest hit industries globally, was eager to keep the wheels of the industry turning. In fact, even before the pandemic became a global phenomenon, Turkey had a collapsing economy that was particularly vulnerable to the global financial meltdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. As summer approached it was obvious that the lockdown measures hit the Turkish economy hard. This relative success in the first wave vastly increased the confidence of the Turkish government.
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