Ecuador will keep the land border with Peru closed due to the coronavirus

The Ecuadorian Government reiterated this Tuesday that it will keep its land border with Peru closed, as a prevention and control response to the spread of covid-19.

“Given the information related to the decision of the Government of Peru to proceed with the reopening of its land borders as of December 1,” the Foreign Ministry indicated in a statement that “this is a bilateral process and ratifies the decision of the Ecuadorian Government to advance in this direction, within the framework of dialogue and diplomatic coordination with the sister country of Peru. “

“The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry reiterates the decision to keep the land border with Peru closed, as a prevention and control response to the spread of the covid-19 pandemic and its new variants,” he said.

In addition, the entry protocols for nationals and resident foreigners through the land border will remain in force, as well as the new requirements established by the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) and which will be in force as of December 1.

“The country’s authorities maintain frequent communication with their Peruvian counterparts, so that the reopening of the borders is carried out gradually and in an orderly manner,” he noted.

Ecuador will begin this Wednesday, December 1, the first of three phases of a Total reopening of the border with Colombia.

New measures by omicron

The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced on Monday the prohibition of entry to the national territory of any person whose origin, stopover or transit is a specific list of countries in Africa to be published by the authorities.

Other measures adopted include that all travelers from the rest of the world, nationals and foreigners, must present a complete anticovid-19 vaccination certificate upon entering Ecuador, in addition to a PCR test with at least 72 hours of validity.

Regarding children and adolescents from 2 to 16 years old, they must present the negative result of a PCR carried out up to 72 hours before shipment to Ecuadorian territory.

Lasso justified this and other measures in which the existence of the new variant of the covid-19 called omicron, which has already been present in several countries of the world.

On the other hand, if a suspicious case is found among the travelers, “a real-time PCR test will be carried out, if it is positive, then it will have to perform 14 days of isolation,” said Lasso.

The Minister of Health, Ximena Garzón, assured this Tuesday at a press conference that no case of the new variant has been registered in the country and reiterated her call for the population to go to the vaccination centers to be inoculated.

The American continent has reacted with alarm to the arrival of the dreaded omicron variant of Covid-19 to its territory, with several countries closing access to travelers from Africa, the origin of the viral variation.

Requirements to enter Galapagos

Regarding the new guidelines for entering the Galapagos by air, which come into effect as of tomorrow for tourists and residents, the Ministry of Tourism noted that all passengers over 16 years of age who enter the archipelago must present a mandatory license. complete vaccination, with at least 14 days of validity after completing the scheme.

In addition, the negative result of a qualitative real-time RT-PCR test carried out up to 72 hours prior to shipment to Ecuador.

While children between 2 and 16 years of age must present the negative result of a qualitative real-time RT-PCR test carried out up to 72 hours prior to shipment to Ecuador.

Additionally, tourists must present the traffic control card issued by the Government Council of the Special Regime of the Galapagos archipelago, located about a thousand kilometers from the Ecuadorian continental coasts. (I)