Due to a surging third wave of COVID-19 infections, Turkey has been in full lockdown for a week and we have 12 more days ahead of us.

Only those who have a permit due to special circumstances, including health, are allowed to go outside. Public service operators and others like doctors and journalists are also exempt from restrictions. The rest of the country, with a population of 82 million, is currently in the throes of a full quarantine.

I can say that tourists are enjoying Turkey, especially at this time of year when the weather is like lemonade, since they are exempt from the lockdown as long as they comply with measures like wearing a mask and keeping a safe social distance.

Although restaurants only offer takeaway at the moment and cafes and shops are fully closed; Turkey's historical and natural attractions and great hotels are still catering to tourists.

On social media, Turks make light of the situation, saying: "Turkey is a beautiful country only if you are a tourist."

In fact, the foreign guests themselves are one of the reasons why Turkey enacted such a tight lockdown when compared to the rest of the world.

The government does not want to disrupt tourism, which is a crucial revenue source for the Turkish economy, especially during the pandemic which has shaken the world economy. For this reason, a radical 17-day total closure was implemented on top of the measures already strictly being enforced.

The target is to minimize the number of cases until June, which coincides with the middle of the tourism season.

Judging by the number of cases, the efforts have been fruitful. In the country of 82 million, the number of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 stood at 61,000 on April 21, followed by a dramatic decrease to 28,000 on May 4.

Is lockdown the solution?

The Health Ministry’s Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, which was established during the pandemic process and consists of doctors, is of the opinion that the "recovery" in question is due to isolation measures, in line with the suggestions of the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, they have not been able to scientifically prove their thesis yet. In fact, it seems unlikely since many scientists, including aerosol physicists, argue lockdown measures do not have a significant impact on the rate at which the pandemic spreads.

In other words, there isn't enough data to assert that the paradigm imposed by the dominant medical authorities, represented by the WHO, is "more scientific" than the other theses that are underestimated as "conspiracy theories."

The thousands of years of humanity's life experience shine brightly in our collective memory.

We are told that when the weather gets warmer in summer, people’s immunity rises and respiratory diseases decrease.

Accordingly, since the COVID-19 attacks the respiratory system just as flu viruses that mutate each year do, is it plausible that the reason for the decline in cases is the approaching summer?

Of course, we can say that.

However, for some reason, the global communication tools of the new free world, such as Google or Twitter, provide little room to express such alternative opinions.

Let me remind you anyway.

Maybe you remember what I said when the summer season ends and the weather starts to get colder.

Upper respiratory tract diseases always increase at the beginning of autumn but the blame will be put on us and our irresponsibility during the summer as more people begin to venture out and socialize more closely.

"Because of you, the coronavirus cases have started to increase. We are going into lockdown again, let the new prohibitions come," they will say.

We will be sitting in quarantine yet again and won't think to ask ourselves why the seasonal flu, which claims thousands of lives every year, disappeared for two years?

I hope I am wrong.