ISTANBUL (AP) – Turkey is taking precautions for international travel, requiring a negative COVID-19 test for passengers to enter the country from Monday to March.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca posted a statement on Twitter stating that travelers should test negative following a 72-hour PCR test to board international flights to Turkey. Previously, no tests were required for the trip to Turkey.
The rule will apply to all land and sea arrivals starting Wednesday. Passengers will be quarantined at their destination if they do not have test results.
Passengers arriving from the United Kingdom, Denmark and South Africa within the last 10 days should test negative and be in quarantine for at least seven days until a second test.
Turkey has one of the worst infection rates in the world, with a weekly average of over 20,000 confirmed infections daily. The total death toll is 19,371, according to official statistics.