Ankara, Nov 29 (IANS): Turkey observed the second weekend as part of a partial curfew imposed across the country in an effort to curb the increase in the number of coronavirus cases.

In the largest city of Istanbul with a population of 16.5 million, markets and groceries were filled with customers who were doing some final shopping before the lockdown started at 8 p.m. on Saturday, reports xinhua news agency.

The curfew will end at 10 a.m. on Sunday before starting again at 8 p.m. and running until 5 a.m. on Monday.

Videos aired by some media outlets showed crowd gatherings in several locations of the city, especially along the seaside, and ignoring the coronavirus-related rules.

In mid-November, the government reimposed partial lockdowns on weekends, closed restaurants and cafes, and introduced new working hours for the businesses, suspending all activities of local gaming halls, clubs, tea gardens, as well as football fields across the country.

Despite the measures however, the number of coronavirus cases has been following an upward trend in the nation, prompting additional restrictions.

The Interior Ministry announced on Friday that the meetings and activities of non-governmental organizations, associations, professional organizations, unions, and cooperatives are suspended for three more months.

Turkey has so far reported more than 578,000 confirmed cases, with 13,373 deaths.