Turkey reintroduces PCR test requirements in intercity flights

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Following the decisions of the Health Ministry's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, the Ministry of Interior of Turkey sent a circular to the governor's offices and central units of 81 provinces across Turkey, informing them that the requirements for having a PCR test were lifted.

Amid harsh criticism from especially the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) in the face of increasing case numbers as a result of the Omicron variant, the Ministry of Interior has issued a new circular announcing that the people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 or have not completed their vaccination process or have not had COVID-19 in the last 180 days will continue to be asked for a negative PCR test result from at least 48 hours before in entering certain areas or during their travel in public transportation.

The TTB has criticized that the decision about the PCR test requirement that has been changed in a day. The TTB has written on Twitter:

"The outbreak must be managed not with instantly changing decisions but based on scientific data. SARS-CoV-2 does not have a feature that is transmitted in a plane but not on a train or bus. The decisions taken are unscientific, as has always been the case. We reiterate our call to the ones who have condemned the society of the disease to resign from office."

According to the new circular of the Interior Ministry "which have been rearranged based on the evaluations of the Health Mİnistry's Public Health Directorate General to eliminate misunderstandings":

• The employees of old people's houses, care homes, children's care homes, prisons and detention centers who are not vaccinated or have not had the disease in the last 180 days; the arrested and convicted inmates of prisons and detention houses in the specified cases; and the people who will travel abroad (in line with the rules set by the receiving country) will continue to be scanned with the PCR test.
• In line with the evaluation of the Health Ministry's Public Health Directorate General, the people who have not been vaccinated against the virus or have not completed their vaccination process or have not had COVID-19 in the last 180 days will continue to be asked for a PCR test result ahead of their intercity flights. 
• A PCR test scan will not be the case for the ones who will participate in events such as concerts, cinema screenings and theater plays; the personnel who work at the schools of the Ministry of National Education (teachers, school bus drivers, cleaning personnel, etc.); the workers of all public and private workplaces; and the ones who will participate in the students' camps organized by public and private institutions who are not vaccinated or have not completed their vaccination process or have not had COVID-19 in the last 180 days.

What happened?

As of September 2021, in addition to the workers, teachers, education personnel, canteen workers, school bus drivers and advising personnel (who will come together with students at schools), the ones who would travel by plane, bus, train or other public transport vehicles were asked to present a negative PCR test result before their intercity travel.

In a statement on January 15, 2022, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced that the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board lifted the PCR test requirement for scanning and contact tracing purposes and that only the ones who had the symptoms would be tested.

In a circular sent to the governor's offices and central units of 81 provinces, the Interior Ministry ended the PCR test requirement.

At its meeting on January 12, the Science Board also decided that COVID-19 close contacts should not be quarantined if they were vaccinated and the asymptomatic cases would not be tested.

In a statement criticizing these recent decisions, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) said, "This state of lack of control created by the hand of the Ministry puts society at risk by turning every citizen of ours into a potential COVID-19 case." (TP/SD)