Turkey-England travels resume as mandatory quarantine ends

LONDON

The long-awaited compulsory quarantine-free travel between Turkey and England resumed Wednesday after Turkey was removed from the COVID-19 travel red list last week.

As of 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), all those arriving from Turkey will no longer need to self-isolate in a designated hotel, which was a mandatory process before.

Passengers arriving in England from Turkey will have to have a PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to their arrival, and self-isolate at an address they will provide for 10 days.

On the 2nd and 8th day of the isolation, they will have two more tests, of which the results need to be shared with British health authorities. They also have to fill a passenger locator form before entering the country.

However, those arriving from Turkey and who are fully vaccinated in the UK, US, EU, or EFTA will not have to self-isolate depending on the pre-journey test and the 2nd-day test.

From Oct. 4, those who are fully vaccinated will not need a pre-departure test before arrival into England from a non-red country, according to a statement by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Turkish authorities are in talks with British authorities for recognition of vaccinations in Turkey, according to a statement from the Turkish Embassy in London.

Alongside Turkey, Egypt, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Kenya were also removed from the red list.