Antalya tightens control on travelers

ANTALYA - Demirören News Agency

People arriving in the southern province of Antalya from other parts of the country will be put under quarantine for 14 days, the governor of the province has announced after the popular holiday destination has seen an increase in the number of visitors.

“We are tightening controls at the entrances to the city. People without the proper travel permission and a relevant excuse should not even dare to come to Antalya. Please stay in your city, stay at home,” said Münir Karaloğlu, the governor.

In line with recommendations from the local health authority, individuals who arrive in the city via land, sea or air routes will be kept in quarantine for 14 days.

The governor noted that people are coming to Antalya with interesting excuses.

“Some 150 people from Istanbul came to the Akseki district, near the Konya province, with their cars. Their declared intention [to the gendarmerie forces for the visit to Akseki] is to pick morel mushrooms. This cannot be. You won’t die if you don’t eat mushrooms for two weeks. The main reason is to come down to Antalya which has fewer coronavirus cases,” Karaloğlu said.

The governor noted that two buildings were put under quarantine in the Elmalı district of the city because of a family that came from Istanbul.

“Due to these two incidents, we have tightened controls at the entrances to Antalya. Make no mistakes. Escaping from your hometown to other cities which have comparatively fewer cases will only mean that the virus will spread further,” he added.

The governor noted that the quarantine decision does not apply to commercial transport and shuttle buses that commute workers.

The police in the city set up checkpoints to control people’s travel permissions and also take travelers’ temperature before letting them into Antalya.

According to official data, there have been 95 confirmed coronavirus cases with 3 deaths in the city as of April 1.