Turkey further eases PCR requirement for unvaccinated

Ankara, Jan 16 (IANS) Turkey will no longer require unvaccinated people to submit a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result for Covid-19 to travel in domestic transportation and attend crowded events, local officials announced.

Citing a notice sent by the Interior Ministry to all provinces, the Istanbul Governor's Office said in a statement that PCR tests would not be needed before taking planes, buses, trains, or other public transportation, reports Xinhua news agency.

It also pointed out that the same requirement would be valid for attending concerts, plays, or movies.

In addition, "unvaccinated civil servants, private-sector employees, and school faculty will also not be required to take a PCR test", the statement said.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said last week that the country abolished the PCR test requirement for screening purposes and for close contacts of Covid-positive individuals.

He added that the tests would only be performed on people with symptoms.

Meanwhile, the Omicron variant has become the dominant Covid-19 strain in the country for the last two weeks, pushing the number of daily cases to above 65,000 thresholds.