Turkey suspends flights with several countries over new coronavirus strains

All passengers travelling on international flights from any country wishing to enter Turkey must submit a negative PCR performed 72 hours before or a negative rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours prior to entry into the country. However, for tourists travelling from Brazil, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, countries where there are new, more contagious strains of COVID-19, direct flights have been suspended.

A statement, released by the Ministry of Interior, indicates that people who have been in one of the six countries mentioned above during the 14 days prior to their arrival in Turkey must have a negative PCR certificate, but will also have to observe a 14-day quarantine at a place of which they will inform the authorities, and take another PCR test at the end of this period.

Those coming from the UK, Iran, Egypt and Singapore will be required to show a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to arrival, the ministry added. However, tourists arriving from destinations other than those specified above who present a document issued by their respective national authorities stating that they have been vaccinated at least 14 days prior to entry into Turkey or that they have had the disease in the six months prior to entry will not be required to show a negative test.

It is important to remember that test results must be in English, French, German, Spanish or French and can be submitted in paper or electronic format.

Other key requirements for travel to Turkey include completing the 'Entry to Turkey' form within 72 hours of travel, as well as undergoing a health screening on arrival.

All these measures will come into effect on Thursday 1 July, while lifting all restrictions that have been in place until now to curb the spread of the pandemic. According to the ministry's communiqué, there will no longer be a night-time curfew, nor a weekend curfew, and work activity, including in the hotel and catering sector, will return to the usual hours of operation as before the pandemic. The government made it clear that the restrictions did not affect foreign visitors, who could go out and enjoy a wide range of services. 

With a rate of 66 infections per million people per day, more than double that of the European Union, the governments of Germany, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, from which 20 per cent of Turkey's visitors departed in 2019, maintain their warnings and recommendations against travel to the Ottoman country. 

In early June, Turkey lifted a three-week total ban on essential services and managed to reduce the number of infections from 65,000 a day in April to the current 6,000. The slump in tourism due to the restrictions resulted in the loss of 8.3 billion euros and more than 320,000 people in the sector lost their jobs.