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Covid Restrictions For Turkey In April

The situation clearly got worse after the so-called normalization and Turkey is going back to its old strict days starting from April. The number of cases rapidly increased during the two weeks’ time, so there is no more freedom for the country including Istanbul on weekends.

There are also regulations regarding the eateries (restaurants, patisseries, bistros, cafes) as the government thinks that Ramadan will ease their grip regarding the situation, they think that there will be a minor opposition if they close them during the fasting period. Let’s see what the new month brings, especially from a tourist aspect.

Visiting Turkey in April

The ones who would like to enter the country have to declare a negative PCR test issued within 3 days of their arrival. If you fail to prove the negative test result you will be asked to stay in quarantine till you do so. Also, countries such as the UK, Denmark, South Africa, or Brazil do not still have direct flights to Turkey and if one traveled to one of the stated countries, the person will be asked to stay in quarantine for at least 10 days. Then a negative PCR test result will be asked for.

Covid Restrictions For Turkey In April

Museums And Attractions During The Lock-down

In most of the cities, about 90 percent, as well as in Istanbul, locals are not allowed to go out unless they have legal permission in the evenings on weekdays and on the weekend. The lock-down schedule is from 9 pm to 5 am on the weekdays and lasts all the weekend ending at 5 am, Monday.

The tourists are exempted from the lockdown, however, there are some regulations that also affect the touristic activities such as the cancellation of the cruise ships or closure of bazaars during the weekends.

Besides the cisterns, museums remain open for visitors, even during the lockdown on weekends. As the eateries allow eating in the restaurant between 7 am and 7 pm in there is no curfew, also the dinner cruises are affected by the regulations and they can now only operate between 4 pm and 8 pm. There will be no food served from 7 pm regarding the restrictions.

Covid Restrictions For Turkey In April

Inner-city and Intercity Transportation

There is no ongoing travel restriction unless the local governors will take theirs in case of worsened scenarios. Almost for all the transportation facilities, the passengers are asked to declare a personalized HES code which they should pair with their identities. This code helps minimize the risk of the spread by not letting the passengers with risk onboard, even in inner-city buses, metro, tram, or public boats.

Covid Restrictions For Turkey In April

The Ramadan and Restrictions

The Turkish government decided to close all seated eating facilities during Ramadan and there will be a curfew implied for all days of Eid (May 13-14-15) for the first time. The expectation is the number of new cases will be lowered in this way. Unlike the restaurants, mosques will remain open for prayers.

That is obviously the challenging part of the restrictions for Ramadan.
You can see the number of cases on the website of the Ministry of Health in the following link and may ask your questions regarding the updates and the recent situation of Covid-19 if you plan to visit Istanbul and Turkey in the upcoming days. We will be more than happy to assist you.

Covid Restrictions For Turkey In April