Pakistanis briefly stranded at Istanbul airport due to new COVID-19 restrictions

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani foreign office has said it is in contact with Pakistanis stranded at the Istanbul Airport due to new coronavirus restrictions put in place on June 1.
Under the new measures, passengers departing from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will be quarantined for 14 days in locations determined by the governorships, according to a statement shared by Turkish Airlines on Tuesday and published by Anadolu Agency.
Passengers who have been to these countries in the last 14 days will be asked to submit a negative PCR test report 72 hours before entering Turkey. Only a negative PCR test result at the end of the 14th day of the quarantine will terminate the isolation.
“Following the announcement today (1 June 2021) of new regulations by the Turkish authorities imposing a quarantine of 14 days on passengers arriving from several countries including Pakistan, the Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara is in touch with the Turkish authorities about this decision,” the foreign office said on Tuesday evening. “A number of Pakistanis had gotten stranded at Istanbul, as they had started their journey before the announcement of these regulations.”
At the embassy’s request, the FO said, Turkish authorities had granted a one-day exemption from quarantine for June1, 2021, allowing passengers into Turkey with a negative PCR test conducted at the airport.
“The Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Istanbul are in close contact with the Pakistanis at the airport to help minimize the impact of these regulations,” the FO said. “A team from the Consulate General is also present at the Istanbul Airport to render necessary assistance to Pakistani nationals.”

Pakistanis briefly stranded at Istanbul airport due to new COVID-19 restrictions