Article 5 of the Constitution states that “Salvadorans should not be expelled, nor prohibited from entering the territory of the Republic, nor denied a return passport or other identification documents.”
According to President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador is adding to the list of countries that ban access to flights from the United Kingdom and South Africa due to the emergence of a new kind of COVID-19.
The ban applies to people who have been in those countries in the past 30 days.
You may be interested: what is known about the new variant of COVID-19 detected in the UK?
However, the measure is unconstitutional, as Article 5 states that “no Salvadoran may be expatriated, nor banned from entering the territory of the Republic, nor denied a return passport or other identification documents. ”.
Last September, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (CSJ) ruled that “No authority can deny entry into the territory to Salvadorans who arrive at San Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport, or at any other point authorized to travel from abroad. To enter, do not submit the PCR that gives COVID-19 negative, as this would in practice imply a ban on entering the country.
The magistrates of La Sal also warned that “the ban on the entry of Salvadorans and permanent residents of foreigners in the conditions outlined would, if it materializes, run counter to the above precautionary measure and therefore will have no effect.
Several European countries began banning flights from the UK on Sunday after the discovery of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus circulating “out of control” in that country and for which the WHO called for “strengthening controls”.
According to international media, UK government scientists have determined that there are 17 linked mutations in the genetic code of the virus that suggest this newly discovered strain is more contagious and spreads more easily.
The government’s scientific director, Patrick Vallance, has indicated that the species – known as VUI 202012/01 – could have originated in London or Kent (South East English) in September.
“This new variant is not only making rapid progress, but is also becoming the dominant variant”, he exposed.
The WHO ruled on the matter this Sunday and stated it additionally “From the preliminary indications that the variant could be more contagious”, the species in question “It can also affect the effectiveness of some diagnostic methods”, Yes, “According to preliminary information”.
Large parts of the south-east of the UK, including the capital London, are now under new and tougher restrictions to stop the rapid spread of the virus.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Ireland and Germany announced the suspension of flights from the UK due to this new strain, and France, Austria and Spain are reportedly considering similar measures.
This is not the first time that the government of El Salvador has banned the entry of travelers due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic in January, the entry of people from China, then Central Americans or travelers from Spain, China, South America. Korea, Iran, France and Germany.
Several European countries began banning flights from the UK on Sunday after the discovery of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus circulating “out of control” in that country and for which the WHO called for “strengthening controls”.