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| In Istanbul Under Lockdown, Baklava Makers Are Essential Workers | In Istanbul Under Lockdown, Baklava Makers Are Essential Workers |
| (3 days later) | |
| ISTANBUL — Every weekend, for over a month now, Istanbul has been under a strict curfew because of the coronavirus. No one is allowed out, not for exercise or groceries, and the police impose fines. Sometimes, like last weekend and next, the street-emptying lockdown stretches for four days to take in public holidays. | ISTANBUL — Every weekend, for over a month now, Istanbul has been under a strict curfew because of the coronavirus. No one is allowed out, not for exercise or groceries, and the police impose fines. Sometimes, like last weekend and next, the street-emptying lockdown stretches for four days to take in public holidays. |
| That has dampened one of the great joys of living in Istanbul: watching the perpetual commotion of this water-bound city, where the Bosporus and the Golden Horn open onto the Sea of Marmara. | That has dampened one of the great joys of living in Istanbul: watching the perpetual commotion of this water-bound city, where the Bosporus and the Golden Horn open onto the Sea of Marmara. |
| From many vantage points, you can see the tiny fishing boats bobbing and glinting, the passenger ferries crisscrossing incessantly, and the giant container ships and long oil tankers that glide right through everything. | From many vantage points, you can see the tiny fishing boats bobbing and glinting, the passenger ferries crisscrossing incessantly, and the giant container ships and long oil tankers that glide right through everything. |
| But the curfew has offered new moments of breathtaking beauty. | But the curfew has offered new moments of breathtaking beauty. |
| A reverent hush falls over the city. The timeless skyline of mosques and minarets seems to grow in stature in the silence. The sapphire waters are as still as a pond. | A reverent hush falls over the city. The timeless skyline of mosques and minarets seems to grow in stature in the silence. The sapphire waters are as still as a pond. |
| Nature lovers have been thrilled. Dolphins have ventured closer, even dipping and diving by the Galata bridge that crosses the Golden Horn. Migratory birds are bolder, storks have returned to an old haunt, and the pollution has lifted, giving the city its first glimpse in 20 years of the snow-covered mass of Mount Uludag, 100 miles to the south. | Nature lovers have been thrilled. Dolphins have ventured closer, even dipping and diving by the Galata bridge that crosses the Golden Horn. Migratory birds are bolder, storks have returned to an old haunt, and the pollution has lifted, giving the city its first glimpse in 20 years of the snow-covered mass of Mount Uludag, 100 miles to the south. |
| The clanging of the construction sites and the thick hubbub of traffic has eased. The only movement is of the sea gulls wheeling over the roof tops. I can even hear a cock crowing in someone’s garden. | The clanging of the construction sites and the thick hubbub of traffic has eased. The only movement is of the sea gulls wheeling over the roof tops. I can even hear a cock crowing in someone’s garden. |
| Of course, Istanbul’s curfew could never be a total shutdown. Its residents have lived through multiple military coups, sieges, earthquakes, pestilence and other calamities, and know well that life must go on. | Of course, Istanbul’s curfew could never be a total shutdown. Its residents have lived through multiple military coups, sieges, earthquakes, pestilence and other calamities, and know well that life must go on. |
| So bakers are exempt from the curfew because fresh bread is so important for the Turkish table. They shout their wares on the empty street and sell bread from the back of their vans. | So bakers are exempt from the curfew because fresh bread is so important for the Turkish table. They shout their wares on the empty street and sell bread from the back of their vans. |
| When Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, began last month, pastry shops also got an exemption. Turks it seems cannot do without their baklava, that heavenly, multilayered, flaky pastry, bound up with nuts and syrup, that is the nation’s favorite sweet. | When Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, began last month, pastry shops also got an exemption. Turks it seems cannot do without their baklava, that heavenly, multilayered, flaky pastry, bound up with nuts and syrup, that is the nation’s favorite sweet. |
| Journalists were allowed out too, so I went to visit Karakoy Gulluoglu, the most famous house of baklava, down near a ferry dock. | Journalists were allowed out too, so I went to visit Karakoy Gulluoglu, the most famous house of baklava, down near a ferry dock. |
| Murat Gullu, the general manager, whose great-grandfather founded the company in the 19th century, said he asked the government to allow baklava makers to stay open. | Murat Gullu, the general manager, whose great-grandfather founded the company in the 19th century, said he asked the government to allow baklava makers to stay open. |
| “We eat baklava on all occasions,” he said, “especially in Ramadan, at celebrations, and at funerals.” | “We eat baklava on all occasions,” he said, “especially in Ramadan, at celebrations, and at funerals.” |
| We slide past that sad thought. Over 4,000 people have died in Turkey from the coronavirus and 150,000 have been infected. | We slide past that sad thought. Over 4,000 people have died in Turkey from the coronavirus and 150,000 have been infected. |
| Mr. Gullu’s master pastry chefs are working throughout the lockdown, hand-rolling sheets of pastry until, as tradition demands, each one is so fine you can read the newspaper through it. | Mr. Gullu’s master pastry chefs are working throughout the lockdown, hand-rolling sheets of pastry until, as tradition demands, each one is so fine you can read the newspaper through it. |
| The chefs bake thousands of trays, drench them in syrup and box them up for hand delivery to customers’ homes. | The chefs bake thousands of trays, drench them in syrup and box them up for hand delivery to customers’ homes. |
| Ramadan drummers are also allowed out during curfew and prowl the streets at night, banging a warning to people to get up and eat before the dawn call to prayer begins the day’s fast. The drummers are an old tradition that refuses to die even if the more secular neighborhoods have asked them not to disturb their sleep. | Ramadan drummers are also allowed out during curfew and prowl the streets at night, banging a warning to people to get up and eat before the dawn call to prayer begins the day’s fast. The drummers are an old tradition that refuses to die even if the more secular neighborhoods have asked them not to disturb their sleep. |
| With some pleasure and pride, Turks are rediscovering their old traditions — like the one where a householder will lower a basket from a window and shout to a shopkeeper to place an order in the basket to save the trek down flights of stairs. | With some pleasure and pride, Turks are rediscovering their old traditions — like the one where a householder will lower a basket from a window and shout to a shopkeeper to place an order in the basket to save the trek down flights of stairs. |
| In my neighborhood of Beyoglu, with its narrow townhouses and overhanging windows, you see that more often these days. There are baskets outside grocery stores too, or just on the street, where people place an extra item for anyone in need to take. | In my neighborhood of Beyoglu, with its narrow townhouses and overhanging windows, you see that more often these days. There are baskets outside grocery stores too, or just on the street, where people place an extra item for anyone in need to take. |
| Betul Ozkan in Fatih, one of the oldest neighborhoods, posted a photo of her family’s basket, with a line from the poet Rumi: “There is much hope after despair and many suns after darkness.” | Betul Ozkan in Fatih, one of the oldest neighborhoods, posted a photo of her family’s basket, with a line from the poet Rumi: “There is much hope after despair and many suns after darkness.” |
| Another custom is for people to pay for two loaves of bread at the bakery, leaving one for the baker to give to someone more needy. Opposition mayors, thwarted by the central government from direct fund-raising, have run hugely successful campaigns in the last couple of weeks asking people to pick up the tab for those struggling to pay their utility bills. | Another custom is for people to pay for two loaves of bread at the bakery, leaving one for the baker to give to someone more needy. Opposition mayors, thwarted by the central government from direct fund-raising, have run hugely successful campaigns in the last couple of weeks asking people to pick up the tab for those struggling to pay their utility bills. |
| For all its glories of culture and architecture, Istanbul — the longest lived-in political entity in Europe — has long been known for its festering diseases. The Sultan’s Topkapi palace and much of the city has notoriously been rife in the past with cholera and tuberculosis. | For all its glories of culture and architecture, Istanbul — the longest lived-in political entity in Europe — has long been known for its festering diseases. The Sultan’s Topkapi palace and much of the city has notoriously been rife in the past with cholera and tuberculosis. |
| The immense hulk of the Byzantine cathedral, Hagia Sophia, was just built in time to witness the great plague of 542 A.D., which devastated the city. | The immense hulk of the Byzantine cathedral, Hagia Sophia, was just built in time to witness the great plague of 542 A.D., which devastated the city. |
| Twenty percent of the population died during repeated outbreaks, including the chief aide to the ruling emperor Justinian. Mass graves were dug in the Galata neighborhood across the Golden Horn, and corpses were piled on ships and pushed out to sea. | Twenty percent of the population died during repeated outbreaks, including the chief aide to the ruling emperor Justinian. Mass graves were dug in the Galata neighborhood across the Golden Horn, and corpses were piled on ships and pushed out to sea. |
| Maybe such experiences with disease have led to an abiding obsession with cleanliness in Turkey. Workers and guests take their shoes off before entering your home. Restaurants have always offered cologne for your hands even before the days of Covid-19. | Maybe such experiences with disease have led to an abiding obsession with cleanliness in Turkey. Workers and guests take their shoes off before entering your home. Restaurants have always offered cologne for your hands even before the days of Covid-19. |
| On many a street corner there are carved marble Ottoman-era fountains, although sadly few have running water anymore. These days, hygiene officials in colored T-shirts stand on the main shopping street with plastic bottles of antiseptic gel on a table. | On many a street corner there are carved marble Ottoman-era fountains, although sadly few have running water anymore. These days, hygiene officials in colored T-shirts stand on the main shopping street with plastic bottles of antiseptic gel on a table. |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | Updated June 5, 2020 |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| When the weekend curfew ends, people burst out their doors with relief, some even ducking out to the corner shop on the stroke of midnight. | When the weekend curfew ends, people burst out their doors with relief, some even ducking out to the corner shop on the stroke of midnight. |
| The lifeblood of the city, the small stores and businesses, remain mostly closed. Restaurants offer takeout only, with the cafes, bars and tea shops still barred from opening. | The lifeblood of the city, the small stores and businesses, remain mostly closed. Restaurants offer takeout only, with the cafes, bars and tea shops still barred from opening. |
| But as the weather turns warm, the city is yearning to sit outside again. | But as the weather turns warm, the city is yearning to sit outside again. |
| Shopkeepers have started spring cleaning, in anticipation of a return of commercial life. The antique shops have begun placing furniture back out on the sidewalk. A furniture shop has placed brochures on the windowsill. Maybe business will move outside. | Shopkeepers have started spring cleaning, in anticipation of a return of commercial life. The antique shops have begun placing furniture back out on the sidewalk. A furniture shop has placed brochures on the windowsill. Maybe business will move outside. |
| No sign of any customers yet though. | No sign of any customers yet though. |
| Small businesses have been struggling already for some years, rocked by a series of economic hits — the violent breakup of the Taksim square protests in 2013, the terrorist attacks in 2016, which scared away the foreign tourists, then a failed coup and a currency crash. | Small businesses have been struggling already for some years, rocked by a series of economic hits — the violent breakup of the Taksim square protests in 2013, the terrorist attacks in 2016, which scared away the foreign tourists, then a failed coup and a currency crash. |
| The artisans — potters, woodcarvers and goldsmiths — who work out of tiny studio workshops in the steep side streets of my neighborhood seemed already to be a dying breed. | The artisans — potters, woodcarvers and goldsmiths — who work out of tiny studio workshops in the steep side streets of my neighborhood seemed already to be a dying breed. |
| But the pandemic is hurting everyone. The barrow men, who move furniture or heavy purchases for customers on pushcarts and survive on daily wages, ask for charity now from passers-by. | But the pandemic is hurting everyone. The barrow men, who move furniture or heavy purchases for customers on pushcarts and survive on daily wages, ask for charity now from passers-by. |
| Still, when turning a corner one day, my heart lifted at the sight of the first cafe table set out on a tiny terrace. The owner was enjoying his Turkish coffee and view of the Bosporus, but we smiled and nodded. Life, it seems, is on the way back. | Still, when turning a corner one day, my heart lifted at the sight of the first cafe table set out on a tiny terrace. The owner was enjoying his Turkish coffee and view of the Bosporus, but we smiled and nodded. Life, it seems, is on the way back. |