Turkey ramps up vaccination drive to escape the red list

Sunday, 26 May, 2021 0

In a bid to accelerate its vaccine drive across the country, Turkey has signed an agreement for 90 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, with an option for 30 million more.

The extra doses will enable Turkey to continue to deliver its roadmap for recovery from the Covid pandemic, and plan for further re-opening of the tourism sector.

In a sign of the recent lockdown in Turkey is working, Covid-19 positive daily infections have fallen by 73% since 1 May.

Turkey is currently on the UK’s red list of countries.

Currently 11.95 million people have been fully vaccinated and 16 million people have received a first dose.

To control the transmission of the variants, Turkey has put in place tougher measures at the borders and flights from Brazil, South Africa and India are suspended.

All passengers arriving into Turkey who have visited these countries within last 10 days will be quarantined for 14 days.

These passengers will also be required to submit, before boarding, a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their departure.

The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, said: "2021 will be a year of safety throughout the tourism season. Around 10,000 tourism facilities and hotels will be certified to ensure they meet the necessary high standard of Covid protocols."

Turkey is investing further in its ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’ with global safety standards for tourism facilities, including airports, accommodation facilities, restaurants, cafeÌs, culture, art and meetings facilities.

Certification is compulsory for all accommodation facilities with 30 or more rooms.

All hotels certified provide testing facilities for tourists so they can obtain test results, if needed, before departing Turkey for the UK or elsewhere.

PCR tests cost approximately €30 (approx. £26) and can be carried out at Turkey’s international airports.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

Local spices spike the fragrant air of Morocco. Cradled by the dunes of the Sahara, the Kingdom has been inhabited...

Palladium Hotel Group is a renowned Spanish hotel chain that first emerged towards the end of the 1960s. Currently present...

AXA Assistance specializes in best-in-class cost containment, health and travel services. Over 60 years of experience combined with a US and...

Family-owned Olympic Holidays has been arranging holidays to Greece, the Greek islands and Cyprus for more than half century. The company is unrivalled...

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels...

Babble is a leading technology business that is reimagining how we do work. Founded in 2001, the company works with...

NSW, Australia Welcome to New South Wales – a place to feel free, feel alive, feel new. As the official...

At Visit California, our mission is to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry...

The Mexico Tourism Board serves as the driving force behind Mexico’s global appeal, orchestrating targeted marketing campaigns to showcase the...

Our Mission Ecommerce has transformative powers, and we believe everyone should be able to take part. But outdated solutions and...

Blue Diamond Resorts consistently goes above and beyond guest expectations by delivering groundbreaking vacation experiences through our exceptional collection of...