Peru, Chile, Colombia, and Cuba are some of the countries that ask travelers for PCR tests to enter their territory. In addition to this measure, some governments chose to restrict flights from the UK and Europe. Here we tell you.
Peru
In addition to requiring travelers to provide the negative result of the PCR test to enter, the government announced on Tuesday that it would extend the suspension of flights from Europe for an additional 15 days to prevent the spread of the new strain of the coronavirus . Travelers are also required to maintain a mandatory 14-day quarantine after entering the country.
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In addition, the government banned the entry into the country of non-resident foreigners who have been in the United Kingdom after the appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus. Peru is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic in the region, with more than 37,900 deaths and 1,022,018 infections as of Tuesday.
Chili
Chilean health authorities reported the second case of the new British strain of the coronavirus on Monday, January 4. This is a passenger who would have arrived in the country on December 22 on the same flight, where the first case of this variant was detected. The newly infected person corresponds to a passenger on an Iberia flight arriving in Chile from Madrid.
Both infections motivated the authorities to change the protocol of entry into the country. Starting January 7, a PCR test is required for a minimum of 72 hours before entering the country and must be quarantined for 10 days. Until now, the exam was not required for Chileans or resident foreigners.
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Chile canceled flights from the UK on December 20, banning the entry of foreigners who have been in that European country for the past 14 days following the appearance of the new species COVID-19.
Colombia
In the Ministry of Health document, travelers are ordered to present the PCR test with a negative result. It must be issued for a maximum period of 96 hours before boarding. Who should present it? “All people from zero years who come to the country from abroad have the nationality or not,” the resolution said.
In any case, passengers with a fever or respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19 and those who have not previously completed the Check-Mig application should not be allowed on board, the Ministry of Health said. In the event that travelers cannot take the PRC test before boarding, they can do so upon arrival in the country. Here we tell you what to look out for when entering the 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, registered 2,964 cases in the past 24 hours, while Quebec had 2,869 cases, a new daily record for the French-speaking province with the highest death toll.
In response to concerns about travel to sunny destinations despite official recommendations, the government announced last week that all travelers arriving in Canada will require a negative PCR test. Canadian authorities strongly discourage travel abroad, which is not essential to prevent the spread of the disease, a recommendation that some elected officials ignore.
Cuba
Cuba has decided to restrict the access of travelers from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Haiti effective January 1. In addition, the country has determined that from January 10, it will require all international travelers to submit a PCR test with a negative result, performed 72 hours before the flight, as a mandatory requirement.
Ecuador
Ecuador requires all passengers arriving in the country by air to submit a negative PCR test, according to an update of the Scattered Pandemic Control Measures. “All passengers arriving in Ecuador from abroad must submit a negative PCR test result,” the document issued by Quiport, the operator of Quito’s Mariscal Sucre airport.
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The test must be performed within ten days of boarding for the trip to Ecuador. There is no requirement to travel on domestic flights, with the exception of travel to the Galapagos Islands, where a negative result of a PCR test is required, taken within 96 hours prior to entering that archipelago, a thousand kilometers from the Ecuadorian coast.
Brazil
As of December 30, every traveler, including residents, must show a negative PCR test performed 72 hours before boarding to enter Brazil. In the past 24 hours, 87,843 infections were registered, an all-time high since the first reports in February. The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday that 1,524 people died in the past 24 hours, the second-highest number since the arrival of the pandemic.
Hospitals in major cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte recently reported an occupancy rate of more than 90%. Amazon Manaus, one of the cities hardest hit during the first months of the pandemic, is reviving images of crowded hospitals and refrigerated trucks set up to hold bodies awaiting burial.
Some European countries:
France
With a worrisome but less serious health situation than that of several of its neighbors, France today announced that it will continue to close hotels, culture and sports to prevent an even greater worsening of the pandemic. In addition, a negative PCR test is required to enter the country UK and South Africa, countries where new highly aggressive strains of the coronavirus have been detected.
The government has also decided that bars and restaurants cannot open their doors until mid-February.
Holland
Passengers from a “risk zone” for infection with the corona virus, including the EU, must show a recent negative PCR test on arrival in the Netherlands from 29 December. The Hague also said it is considering extending the obligation to provide a negative PCR test to all EU passengers arriving in the Netherlands by other means of transport such as “train, bus or ship”.