The measures taken under the coronavirus in Turkey do not actually cover workers. They have to go to work with a special permit obtained from employers even during lockdown.

Idris Tutum, who works for a minimum wage in a product warehouse in Istanbul Wholesalers Bazaar (İSTOÇ) in Bağcılar, Istanbul, lives in a rented house in Eyüp. He says that things were not great before the pandemic, but now the salary is not paid regularly.

Tutum, father of two, states that he cannot meet the needs of his children and received no positive response from any institution he applied to for financial support. "They praise aid campaigns on television every day. - he said - They talk about their help to employers. Nobody came knocking on our door to ask what we eat. If I am one day late in paying my rent, the landlord will throw me out of the house."

Lockdowns are imposed on the weekends, but Idris Tutum goes to work. "Stay at home, they say. How do I pay my rent if I stay at home?" 

Tutum added: "I have a two year old daughter and a 6 year old son. I cannot afford staying at home, I'm scared when I work. The workers are those who want this pandemic to end the most. Who is listening to us?"