Mail ban due to new Covid-19 restrictions

Taken from this week's issue

By GÜLDEREN ÖZTANSU

SENDING or receiving letters and parcels from certain countries is currently not possible because of new Covid-19 restrictions imposed by Turkey, the TRNC’s Public Works and Transport Ministry warned this week.

Turkey has introduced new travel bans on air and sea transport in the face of the global pandemic, which in turn affects North Cyprus, as all deliveries come and go via Turkey. Any post sent will not be accepted by Turkey’s Post Telegraph Corporation (PTT). Post between the TRNC and Turkey is not affected.

A written announcement by the Public Works and Transport Ministry issued earlier this week warns residents not to send mail to the affected locations:

Turkey has stopped accepting aircraft (affecting deliveries of registered airmail, parcels and “APG” – urgent post) from the following countries: Angola, Myanmar, Argentina, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Barbados, Rwanda, Bolivia, Samoa, Botswana, Sudan, Brunei, Suriname, Curaçao, Syria, Chad, Chili, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ecuador, Turkmenistan, Ethiopia, Uruguay, Eritrea, Yemen, Fiji, New Caledonia, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, French Polynesia, Ghana, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Lesotho, Macao, Mali, Mongolia, Mauritania and Mozambique. 

The countries for which the “surface” (ship) acceptance has been removed are: France, Afghanistan, Angola, Maldives, Argentina, Mali, Albania, Mongolia, Aruba, Mauritania, Barbados, Mozambique, Bolivia, Myanmar, Botswana, Nepal, Brunei, Panama, Djibouti, Papua New Guanine, Curaçao, Paraguay, Chad, Peru, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Ecuador, Samoa, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Suriname, Estonia, Syria, Fiji, Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast, Tajikistan, French Polynesia, Tanzania, Ghana, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Uruguay, Honduras, Venezuela, Iceland, Yemen, Costa Rica, New Caledonia, Cuba, New Zealand, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Luxemburg.