BRASILIA, Dec 9 (Reuters) – The Brazilian government published a new ordinance on Thursday that establishes the rules for the entry of foreigners by air into the country, including the need to carry out an examination up to 72 hours before boarding and a quarantine of five days for those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, while facilitating the entry of inoculated people.
Under the ordinance, which takes effect on Saturday, travelers must present an antigen test performed up to 24 hours before boarding or a PCR test up to 72 hours before. Anyone who does not present proof of vaccination with both doses will have to quarantine for five days and present a new negative test before being released for circulation.
Travelers will also have to fill out a Traveler’s Health Declaration and specify where they will spend the quarantine, in the case of unvaccinated travelers, as well as agree to comply with the regulations determined by the government.
At land borders, proof of vaccination or negative test will be required.
The ordinance comes after repeated requests from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) for the government to adopt the requirement of a vaccination passport for the entry of foreigners, especially given the emergence of the new omicron variant, apparently more contagious and with risk of evading the protection of current vaccines.
However, Jair Bolsonaro refused to accept the restrictions, already adopted in several countries. Allegedly not vaccinated so far, the president wrongly claims that people who have had COVID-19 would have as much or more protection than those vaccinated, despite scientific evidence showing that this is not the case. (Report by Lisandra Paraguassu; edited in Spanish by Benjamín Mejías Valencia)