Due to the coronavirus, entry to a district of Istanbul will be restricted to those with a permit. Starting today, citizens without a valid permit will not be allowed into that district. As part of coronavirus precautions, restrictions have been placed on entering and leaving the district. At the ferry pier, staff inspected documents one by one for those who intended to board. Entry and exit to the Princes’ Islands in Istanbul have been limited because of the coronavirus. Officials at the pier denied boarding to people who could not present a residence permit or a work permit.
According to the decisions taken, the restriction for the Princes’ Islands in Istanbul has gone into effect today and will remain in force until 00:01 on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Inspections this morning show the restriction is being enforced strictly except for specified exceptions. Except for those exceptions, no entry or exit to the Islands will be permitted. Some people who were unaware of the new rule still arrived at the pier. Staff checked whether those arriving had work permits or residence documents. Those who could present the requested documents were allowed to board the ferry; others were not.
Seats on the Island Ferry Were Left Empty
Seats on the Island ferry were left empty. Some of the people prevented from crossing said they did not have work permits and that, had they been able to cross today, they would have obtained permission from their employer—now they were unsure how to do that. Authorities added this restriction as another precaution against the coronavirus. The measure specifically aims to prevent day-trippers from visiting the Islands during the outbreak. After the decision began to be implemented this morning in Istanbul, it was noticeable that many seats on ferries bound for the Islands remained unoccupied.