14-day quarantine mandatory on arrivals from 8 countries to Turkey
Turkey has introduced new restrictions for passengers arriving from eight countries including Pakistan as it seeks to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic during the summer tourism season.
Some Pakistanis, who travelled shortly before the advisory, were stranded at the Istanbul Airport after the announcement of the new travel curbs.
Pakistan Embassy in Ankara and Consul General in Istanbul were in contact with the Pakistanis and Turkish authorities to resolve the issue.
Passengers traveling from Pakistan to Turkey are advised to reassess their travel plans in light of these new travel regulations announced by the Turkish authorities, Pakistan government officials said. All Pakistanis are also encouraged to follow the the official government guidelines and health advisories before travelling.
Travelers are also requested to use the emergency helpline numbers and email addresses available at Pakistan Embassy’s website.
New travel curbs
“Passengers departing from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and those who are understood to be in these countries in the last 14 days will be requested to submit a negative PCR test report 72 hours before entering to Turkey, and these passengers will be quarantined for 14 days” in places determined by the government, according to a Turkish Airlines travel advisory.
Passengers who have been to these countries in the last 14 days will also be requested to submit a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted a maximum of 72 hours before entering Turkey.
If the PCR test result to be made at the end of the 14th day of the quarantine is negative, the quarantine measure will be terminated. Passengers whose PCR test result is positive will be taken into isolation and the measure will be terminated with a negative PCR test result which will be made at the end of the 14th day.
The flight bans to Brazil and South Africa ended (as of June 1) under this new measure, Turkey’s national flag carrier stated.