COVID-19 Outbreak in İstanbul

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the social determinants of health play a fundamental role in the course of the pandemic. This article aims to reveal the class dynamics of the COVID-19 epidemic in İstanbul, Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Spatial analysis and geographic information system data provided by İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality for March and April 2020 were used. Public transport mobility and turnstile data were analyzed. The data obtained were collated into thematic maps. RESULTS: Between March 16 and 24, 2020, the use of public transportation declined with the tightening of movement restrictions. However, despite the restrictions, an increase in transportation density was observed between 6 and 9 am and between 5 and 7 pm. Although the overall mobility toward outside the city has fallen due to travel restrictions, it has been observed that exit mobility continued between Gebze and Kocaeli, both industrial centers where blue-collar jobs dominate. Most of the mobility in the city is observed in Avcılar, Bahçelievler, Esenyurt, and Küçükçekmece, which are mostly blue-collar residential districts. On the Asian side, activity was observed in Kurtköy, Pendik, Samandıra, Ümraniye, and Tuzla, areas where blue-collar workers predominantly reside. From March 25 to April 7, 2020, it was determined that the most intense activity areas of the blue-collar workers were Avcılar, Bahçelievler, Bağcılar, Çekmeköy, Esenyurt, Küçükçekmece, Ümraniye, and D-100 highway line. CONCLUSION: The density in the use of public transportation rose during the hours corresponding to the working hours of the workers who had to continue working despite the pandemic. In addition, the physical movement of blue-collar workers continued despite the travel restrictions imposed along the city borders where they worked and resided. Our data point to the importance of social protection measures for workers in general, and blue-collar workers in particular, for the management of the pandemic.