They update guidelines for entry to Ecuador; nationals and residents who have been in eight African countries can present negative PCR test and complete isolation of 14 days

Sanitary controls at Ecuador’s airports, both on the mainland and on the island, intensify this month with the alert of the circulation in the world of the omicron variant of COVID-19.

To this end, the authorities developed a series of guidelines that local and foreign travelers must comply with when entering Ecuadorian territory by air, in accordance with what was resolved on November 29 by the national Emergency Operations Committee (COE).

In the case of travelers arriving in Ecuador and even the Galapagos Islands must also comply with several parameters, such as the presentation of the negative result of a PCR test up to 72 hours before shipment and complete vaccination certificate (two doses) with at least fourteen days of validity.

Within the regulations determined by the national COE, the entry of passengers from eight countries on the African continent was restricted, as a point of origin or stopover. These are: South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Egypt.

74.57% of the Ecuadorian population over 5 years of age is vaccinated against COVID-19 with the two doses

In an update of the guidelines, dated December 1 of this year, the Ministry of Health determined that with respect to Ecuadorian travelers and legal permanent residents in the country who have been in those eight nations In the last fourteen days, they will be able to enter the country with a negative result of a qualitative real-time RT-PCR test carried out up to 72 hours before embarking to Ecuador and upon entering the country they must comply with a fourteen-day quarantine regardless of their vaccination status .

If a suspicious case is reported, a PCR test will be carried out. If the test is positive, the citizen must perform fourteen days of isolation

Entry requirements to mainland Ecuador by air:

• Any person entering continental Ecuador by international air must present the Traveler’s Health Declaration digitally when boarding the airline, it is available at the following link: https: //declaracionsalud-viajero.msp.gob. ec / Di the platform is not available, you can submit the physical form. It is worth mentioning that travelers who fill out the digital form no longer need to present the form at the point of entry to the Ministry of Health.
• All passengers who enter the country, over 16 years of age, must present a mandatory vaccination card against COVID-19 with at least fourteen days of validity after completing the scheme and the negative result of the qualitative RT-PCR test in time real made up to 72 hours prior to boarding to Ecuador. Crewmembers are exempt from these requirements.
• For children between 2 and 16 years old, they must present the negative result of the qualitative RTPCR test in real time carried out up to 72 hours prior to boarding to Ecuador.
• Entry to the national territory is prohibited to any person whose point of origin, stopover or transit is South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana Eswatini, Mozambique and Egypt. Citizens and legal permanent residents in Ecuador who were in one of the countries described in the previous lines, in the last fourteen days, will be able to enter the country, for this purpose they must have a negative result of a qualitative real-time RT-PCR test performed up to 72 hours prior to boarding to Ecuador; Upon entering the country, you must comply with a 14-day quarantine regardless of your vaccination status.
• Ecuadorian passengers who were declared inot admitted in other countries and those who return to Ecuador should not present a qualitative RT-PCR test; however, the Ministry of Public Health will carry out a rapid antigen test upon arrival in the country.
• All passengers arriving in Ecuador must report to the Ministry of Public Health the presence or absence of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 in themselves or in their direct contacts by calling 171 of the Ministry of Public Health for monitoring and handling.
• Any passenger who during the flight or upon arrival in Ecuador presents symptoms related to COVID-19 (thermal rise, cough, general malaise, loss of smell, loss of taste, among others), regardless of the result of the qualitative test RT -PCR will be evaluated by the personnel of the Ministry of Public Health before entering the migration area.
• If it is determined that it is a “suspicious case”, a rapid antigen test (nasopharyngeal swab) will be performed; If it is positive, they must perform 14 days of isolation after the date of taking the sample at their home or at any place of accommodation of their own free choice and at the expense of the traveler. For the follow-up, you must inform about the contacts, this information must be included in the Traveler’s Health Declaration. In the event that the rapid antigen test is negative, the passenger must not perform isolation, but must report symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.

Entrance to insular Ecuador (province of Galapagos) by air border

Every person, regardless of their migratory category, must comply with the following when entering the province of Galapagos:

Foreign tourists, national tourists and / or residents of Galapagos:

• Every passenger who enters the country, over 16 years of age, must present a mandatory vaccination card against COVID-19 with at least fourteen days of validity after completing the scheme and the negative result of the qualitative RT-PCR test in time real made up to 72 hours prior to boarding to insular Ecuador. Crewmembers are exempt from these requirements.
• For children between 2 and 16 years old, they must present the negative result of the qualitative RTPCR test in real time carried out up to 72 hours prior to boarding to Insular Ecuador.
• Additionally, for the entry of national or foreign tourists, the traffic control card issued by the Government Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos will be requested, eliminating the safe-conduct managed by a tour operator or by an accommodation regulated by the Ministry of Tourism (excepting the safe conduct for tour leader established in article 12 of the Tourist Guidance Regulations for the Special Regime of the Province of Galapagos). “

Clarifications

• The only type of test authorized for entry into the country is the qualitative real-time RT-PCR test.
• Any person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and who after a month continues to obtain a positive result in the RT-PCR test must present a medical certificate issued in the country of origin that guarantees their health status of not being in the phase of contagion for entry to Ecuador, as long as there are no symptoms.
• For people who come from countries where the vaccination protocol contemplates the administration of the vaccine six months after the COVID-19 infection and who for this reason have not been vaccinated; the certificate issued of the infection will be taken into account as if it were a vaccination certificate. These people will be required to obtain the certificate of not having received the vaccine for infection that does not exceed six months and the negative RT-PCR test.
• Passengers who, due to their health condition, cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine, must present a medical certificate that supports said condition and the negative RT-PCR test will be required.
• For Ecuadorian citizens who have not yet received their vaccine and require to return to Ecuador, they will receive the available unit dose against COVID-19 upon arrival. (I)