Peru, Chile, Colombia, and Cuba are some of the countries that require PCR testing from travelers in order to enter their territories. In addition to this measure, some governments chose to restrict flights from the United Kingdom and Europe. Here we tell you.
Peru
In addition to requiring travelers to submit the negative result of the PCR test to enter, the Government announced on Tuesday that it extended for another 15 days the suspension of flights from Europe to prevent the spread of the new strain of ‘coronavirus. Travelers must also keep a mandatory quarantine of 14 days after entering the country.
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In addition, the government banned the entry of non-residents into the country who have been in the UK following the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus. Peru is one of the countries hardest hit in the region by the pandemic, with more than 37,900 dead and 1,022,018 infected as of Tuesday.
Chile
Chile’s health authorities reported the second case of the new British coronavirus strain on Monday (January 4th). This is a passenger who would have arrived in the country on the same flight on December 22 where the first case of this variant was detected. The new victim is a passenger on an Iberia flight that arrived in Chile from Madrid.
Both infections motivated the authorities to modify the country entry protocol. From January 7, a PCR exam will be required at least 72 hours before entering the country and remain in quarantine for 10 days. Until now, the exam was not required of resident Chileans or foreigners.
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Chile canceled flights from the United Kingdom on December 20 and banned the entry of foreigners who have been in this European country for the last 14 days after the appearance of the new strain of COVID-19.
Colombia
In the document issued by the Ministry of Health, travelers are ordered to present the PCR test with a negative result. It must be issued no later than 96 hours before boarding. Who should submit it? “All people from the age of zero who come to the country from abroad are compatriots or not,” the resolution says.
“In any case, it will not be allowed to address the passenger who presents fever or respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19 and those who have not previously completed the Check-Mig application,” says the Minsalud. In the event that passengers are unable to take the PRC test before boarding the flight, they will be able to take it on arrival in the country. Here we tell you what to consider if you are going to enter a country.
Canada
Canada, with a population of about 38 million, went from 500,000 to 600,000 cases in 15 days. Ontario, the most populous province, recorded 2,964 cases in the last 24 hours, while Quebec had 2,869, a new daily record for the French-speaking province with the highest number of deaths.
In response to concerns expressed about travel to sunny destinations despite official recommendations, the government announced last week that it will require a negative PCR test for all travelers arriving in Canada. Canadian authorities emphatically discourage trips abroad that are not essential to prevent the spread of the disease, a recommendation ignored by some elected officials.
Cuba
Cuba decided to limit the entry of travelers from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Haiti from 1 January. In addition, the country established that from January 10 it will require as a mandatory requirement for all international travelers a PCR test with a negative result performed 72 hours before the flight.
Ecuador
Ecuador requires all passengers arriving in the country by air to submit a negative PCR test, according to an update of widespread pandemic control measures. “Every passenger arriving in Ecuador from abroad must present the negative PCR test result,” the document issued by Quiport, the administrator of the Mariscal Sucre de Quito airport, states.
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The test must have been performed within ten days prior to boarding for the trip to Ecuador. There are no requirements to travel on domestic flights, except for trips to the Galapagos Islands, where the negative result of a PCR test, taken within 96 hours prior to entry into this archipelago, is required. a thousand kilometers from the Ecuadorian coast.
Brazil
From December 30, any passenger, including residents, must submit a negative PCR test performed 72 hours prior to boarding in order to enter Brazil. In the last 24 hours, 87,843 infections were recorded, an absolute record since the first cases reported in February. The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday that 1,524 people have died in the last 24 hours, the second highest number since the arrival of the pandemic.
Hospitals in large cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte recently reported occupancy rates in excess of 90%. The Amazon Manaus, one of the cities hardest hit during the first months of the pandemic, relives images of full hospitals and refrigerated trucks empowered to preserve bodies awaiting burial.
Some European countries:
France
With a worrying but less serious health situation than that of several of its neighbors, France announced today that it is maintaining the closure of the hospitality industry, culture and sport in order to prevent an even greater aggravation of the pandemic. In addition, it will require a negative PCR test to be able to enter the country from United Kingdom and South Africa, Countries where new very aggressive strains of the coronavirus have been detected.
The government also decided that bars and restaurants will not be able to open their doors until at least mid-February.
Netherlands
Previous passengers in a coronavirus “risk zone” of contagion, including the EU, will have to present a recent negative PCR test on arrival in the Netherlands from 29 December. The Hague also said it was considering extending the obligation to submit a negative PCR test to all EU passengers arriving in the Netherlands via other means of transport such as “train, bus or boat”.