Peru, Chile, Colombia and Cuba are some of the countries that require PCR tests from travelers to enter their territories. In addition to this measure, some governments have chosen to restrict flights from the UK and Europe. Here we tell you.
Peru
In addition to asking passengers to submit a negative PCR test to enter, the government announced on Tuesday that it had extended the suspension of flights in Europe by another 15 days to prevent the spread of the new strain of coronavirus. Travelers must also have a compulsory quarantine of 14 days after entering the country.
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In addition, the government has banned non-residents who have been to the United Kingdom after a new variant of coronavirus has entered the country. Peru is one of the worst-hit countries in the pandemic region, with more than 37,900 deaths and 1,022,018 infections since Tuesday.
chile
Chilean health authorities reported on Monday, January 4, the second case of the new British coronavirus strain. This is a passenger who allegedly arrived in the country with the same flight on December 22 where the first case of this variant was detected. The new infected person corresponds to a passenger on an Iberia flight that arrived in Chile from Madrid.
Both infections motivated the authorities to change the protocol of entry into the country. Starting next January 7, a PCR test 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 Chileans or foreign residents.
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Chile canceled flights from the United Kingdom on December 20 and banned foreigners who have been in that European country in the last 14 days since the new COVID-19 strain appeared.
Colombia
In the document issued by the Ministry of Health, passengers are asked to present the PCR test with a negative result. It must be issued no later than 96 hours before boarding. Who should present it? “All people from the age of zero who come to the country from abroad are citizens or not,” says the resolution.
“In any case, passengers with fever or respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19 and those who have not previously completed the Check-Mig application will not be allowed to board,” says the Ministry of Health. If passengers cannot take the PRC test before boarding the flight, they can do so upon arrival in the country. Here we tell you what to consider if you are going to enter 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, 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 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 strongly discourage travel abroad that is not essential to prevent the spread of the disease, a recommendation ignored by some elected officials.
Cuba
Cuba has decided to limit the entry of travelers from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Haiti from January 1. In addition, the country has established that from 10 January it will require all international passengers to take 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 pandemic control measures. “All passengers arriving in Ecuador from abroad must show a negative PCR test result,” the document issued by Quiport, the administrator of Quito’s Marshal Sucre Airport, said.
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The test must have been performed within ten days of boarding for the trip to Ecuador. It is not necessary to travel by domestic flights, except for trips to the Galapagos Islands, where a negative result of a PCR test, performed 96 hours before entering that archipelago a thousand kilometers from the coast of Ecuador, is required.
Brazil
From 30 December, any passenger, including residents, must present a negative PCR test 72 hours before boarding to enter Brazil. In the last 24 hours, 87,843 infections were registered, 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 largest number since the arrival of the pandemic.
Hospitals in major cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte have recently reported occupancy rates of over 90%. The Amazonian Manaus, one of the cities most affected in the first months of the pandemic, relives images with full hospitals and refrigerated trucks arranged to keep the corpses waiting for burial.
Some European countries:
France
With a worrying health situation, but less serious than that of several neighbors, France announced today that it maintains the closure of hotels, culture and sports to avoid an even greater aggravation of the pandemic. In addition, you will need a negative PCR test to enter the country Great Britain and South Africa, countries where new very aggressive strains of coronavirus have been detected.
The government has also decided that bars and restaurants will not be able to open their doors until at least mid-February.
Netherlands
Passengers in a coronavirus “risk area”, including the EU, must 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 present a negative PCR test to all EU passengers arriving in the Netherlands by other means of transport such as “train, bus or ship”.