The UBP-HP coalition government must reconsider its decision regarding entry into
North Cyprus by travellers from Turkey on July 1. This could create real problems, a journalist has written.
The government has assigned categories to each country, depending on Covid-19 infection rates. Observers have been alarmed that Turkey has been assigned to Category A – the least risky category. However, recently, there has been a spike in cases of coronavirus reported in Turkey, leading to calls for the government to reassess its decision.
Journalist Sami Özuslu writing for Yeniduzen said that some assessments have been made and the issue of the entry of people from Turkey into North Cyprus without quarantine but still requiring a PCR test for Covid-19 no more than 72 hours before arrival, have been reconsidered, but no decision has been taken yet.
The columnist notes that quarantine-free visits from Turkey cannot begin on July 1 and that the government must revoke this decision because the number of cases in Turkey has begun to rise and hospitals have begun to fill up.
“Turkey has been ranked among the highest [ with cases of Covid-19] in Europe and the world in terms of the number of new cases,” the columnist said, adding that “the Turkish government has revoked some decisions on openings, the rules have become stricter“.
Noting that the price will be heavy if they say “let them come” given the current infection rates in Turkey, the journalist said that opening North Cyprus to Turkey without quarantine will mean nothing more than putting people’s lives in danger and will not benefit the economy. “On the contrary, it could bring the full lockdown onto the agenda again, including the crossings between south and north,” he said, referring to the internal border crossing points.
A separate article in Yeniduzen reports that Turkish Airlines’ scheduled flights between Ercan and Istanbul begin this evening. Flights between Istanbul and Ercan are planned as four departures and four returns per week. THY’s TK 970 flight, which will depart from Istanbul Airport, is expected to land at Ercan Airport tonight at 11.20.
Yeniduzen
