"Mehmet Oktay 'Fake' Went into Quarantine!"
Dıd Mehmet Oktay Break the Rules?
Although we didn't take the deaths in China very seriously, as the number of deaths in Europe increased, the anxiety in our country also rose. The visa I was waiting for to go to Rhodes arrived around March 5-6, but I immediately canceled my visit and went to Istanbul for work with great fear. However, when I read the news that the Mayor of Marmaris, Mehmet Oktay, did not show the same diligence and went to Russia for a fair that started on March 12 and returned on March 13, I was furious.
Is Goıng to Russıa a Rısk or a Scandal?
The fact that Mehmet Oktay stayed at the fair that started on March 12 for only one day and returned on the 13th made me wonder if it was irresponsibility or ignorance. In one day, amidst so many virus cases, traveling twice by plane among hundreds of foreign people, sitting in a seat where you don't know who sat before, is completely risky! If he saved Marmaris at the fair in one day and risked himself for us, for his country, let's declare him a hero. But we need a healthy man, not a sick one. The problem is not even this, the problem is something else entirely. I'll write it, you comment!
Is the 14-Day Rule a Hoax or A FIasco?
According to the press release from the Marmaris Municipality, Oktay, who returned to the country on March 13, was reported to be in "QUARANTINE" on March 15. Believe me, our journalists in Marmaris are five times better at writing headlines than journalists nationwide. The quarantine headline is a complete hoax. It is not possible to quarantine people in a place without an epidemic or those not affected by the epidemic. But the real bomb is the non-compliance with the 14-day rule!
How to Isolate from the PublIc WhIle EatIng In HIsarönü!
As you will read in the press release, Mehmet Oktay stated, "We will not go out and will follow the necessary procedures to not risk the health of our citizens and environment." Following this statement, we read in the media that he isolated himself for 14 days. Everyone who believed him applauded and shared these news on social media. After these news were published on March 16, I received many calls, not just one or two. We saw Mehmet Oktay eating at xxxx restaurant in Hisarönü on March 14! That is, two days before his "I Isolated Myself" statement!
I applaud everything done to raise public awareness, but if people, mothers, fathers, siblings, children are dying, I cannot allow anyone to gain fame over the "Coronavirus." Neither Marmaris, nor Mehmet Oktay, nor any CHP mayor needs such cheap, stupid publicity. The presidency can pass from AK Party to CHP, and you can use every issue for political gain in the next election. But there is no need for such a thing in Marmaris, and no one has the right to play with the emotions of those who believe in them! Especially not to profit from such a disaster!
After hearing these, I had a meeting with the press officer of Marmaris Municipality and was asked to send an email for an explanation on the matter. On March 17, around noon, I sent the email below for an urgent response. When I did not receive a response by 5:00 PM, I called our press officer friend, who said the matter had been conveyed but no response had been received, and that I should call public relations. The response I received from there was that the matter had been conveyed to the mayor, that this was not a quarantine, but a 14-day rule, that Russia was not a banned country, that our media friends approached the issue this way, and that I should not write about this issue.
Crazy QuestIons In My MInd!
Now, if Mehmet Oktay can show that he did not deceive the people of Marmaris, did not gain political advantage from the Coronavirus, and did not lie by saying "I isolated myself for the health of my people," by answering these questions or making a press statement, he can prevent comments about whether he is honest or not circulating on the streets!
• Mr. Mehmet Oktay, Mayor of Marmaris, were you or were you not at dinner with your family, Marmaris Municipality and Muğla Metropolitan Municipality staff and their spouses in Hisarönü on the evening of March 14?
• By saying "We will not go out and will follow the necessary procedures to not risk the health of our citizens and environment" for the 14-Day Rule, on which day did you isolate yourself from the public after returning from Russia?
• Did you go to dinner in the Aktaş region on March 15?
• Was it right to attend the Russian fair on March 12 while the world was breaking out in an epidemic? Why did you return in one day?
• If you went to dinner in Hisarönü and a future epidemic breaks out in Marmaris, God forbid, did you get tested to prove that it did not spread from you?
• If you went to dinner before isolating yourself, did you not think that you could transmit a possible disease to those around you? Did you have those around you tested?
• If you went out during these two days, why did you say you isolated yourself on Monday, March 16? Who pushed you to do this? If this idea did not come from you, is the future of Marmaris Municipality left to the advisors who gave these ideas?
• On what date did Mr. Ali Kırlı, Member of the Marmaris Municipality Council, start the 14-day rule? Did he go to Muğla on the day he was supposed to be isolated, as claimed on social media?
• If you broke the 14-day rule, were the people around you and the people in the places you went isolated for the health of the people of Marmaris, were they isolated, was a list made?
• If you went out before the 14-day rule, how will you explain this to your people? Will you apologize? Will you resign? How will you ensure that we trust you from now on?
On March 16, Marmaris Munıcıpalıty made the followıng statement to the press:
"Marmaris Mayor Mehmet Oktay and CHP Council Member Ali Kırlı attended the 'Inturmarket Tourism Fair' held in Moscow, Russia, from March 12-15, 2020.
Mehmet Oktay and Kırlı, who entered the country on Friday, March 13, decided to isolate themselves from society for 14 days within the scope of the coronavirus epidemic and the measures taken. Despite Russia not being among the risky countries listed by our Ministry of Transport, Mayor Mehmet Oktay made the following statement regarding the matter:
We have taken all our precautions. We paid utmost attention to the necessary conditions and hygiene rules both while going and returning. There is no problem with my health; I am perfectly fine. But of course, this is a sensitive issue. To not risk the health of our citizens and environment, we will not go out and will follow the necessary procedures. In this context, I isolated myself as a precaution. I will handle municipal affairs by phone or online system."
So what ıs thıs 14-day rule?
While the Ministry of Health is implementing the "14-day rule" against coronavirus, it provided information on what to pay attention to at home.
In the post titled "New coronavirus home monitoring (quarantine) rules" shared on the Ministry's social media accounts, it was warned, "If you have come from a country where the new coronavirus disease has been seen in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms such as fever, cough, or respiratory distress, you should not leave the house for 14 days."
"Do not accept visitors. If possible, stay in a separate room. Ventilate your room frequently. Always wear a medical mask in common areas of the house. If possible, use a separate toilet and bathroom. If there is no separate toilet and bathroom, always wear a mask in these areas and clean these areas after each use. Ensure frequent hand hygiene. Wash your hands with water and regular soap or rub them with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Separate your dishes, glasses, towels, and do not share them."
