The Turkish government has eased travel restrictions and quarantine rules for Pakistani nationals keeping in view hardships faced by them amid the Covid pandemic.

A statement issued by the Interior Ministry of Turkey stated that entry precautions for Pakistani nationals have been eased and there will be no quarantine for vaccinated persons.

However, for those who cannot show their vaccination documents, it stated that the residents and students will have to quarantine at the given addresses while tourists will quarantine at booked hotels. The statement further said that those coming from Pakistan who have a valid residence and work permit will be exempted from hotel quarantine and will spend their mandatory quarantine period in their residence.

Similarly, a negative PCR test result will be required for those travelling from Pakistan and other South Asian states at least 72 hours before entry in Turkey, it said.

Turkey started easing curbs in recent weeks, limiting the lockdown and opening restaurants to a limited number of guests, after daily cases began to fall from a peak above 60,000 in April.

On August 6, the Turkish government relaxed travel restrictions for students who wanted to join their colleges and universities after the summer break. Under the rules, the students were allowed to undergo the mandatory quarantine of 10 days at designated dormitories instead of private hotels.

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They were quarantined at the Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution's (KYK) Muhteşem Süleyman Dormitory in Istanbul and Tahsin Banguoğlu KYK Dormitory in Ankara.

Pakistani students studying in universities based in provinces other than Istanbul and Ankara were only allowed to travel to the provinces where their registered universities are based after the end of the quarantine period in KYK dormitories.