Brazil ruled out on Tuesday requiring a certificate of vaccination against covid-19 for foreigners who arrive in the country, despite a recommendation from the health regulator and after President Jair Bolsonaro compared the requirement to a “leash” for animals.
“People cannot be discriminated against between vaccinated and unvaccinated to impose restrictions (…) Science already knows that vaccines do not totally prevent the transmission of the virus,” Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga told journalists after a inter-ministerial meeting in the presidency.
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However, Queiroga said that at a time when the precise characteristics of the omicron variant are unknown, Brazil will require “a five-day quarantine” from the unvaccinated, as recommended by the health regulator, Anvisa.
After that period and with a negative PCR test, “in the case of foreigners who come to do tourism, they can take advantage of the beauties of our great Brazil,” he added.
Until now, the only requirement was to present a negative PCR test.
Replicating Bolsonaro’s statements against the health passport, Queiroga affirmed that “sometimes it is better to lose your life than to lose your freedom. We are not here wanting to argue but they are fundamental rights and have the same importance ”.
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Before the announcement, the far-right president, who has not been vaccinated, rejected Anvisa’s request for a health passport.
“We asked, why the health passport? What is that strap that they want to put on the Brazilian people? Where is our freedom? I’d rather die than lose my freedom, ”the president launched.
Anvisa recommended requiring a health passport for travelers arriving in the country, where at least six cases of the omicron variant were confirmed and a greater arrival of tourists is expected for the end of the year parties.
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“Given the globally established restrictions (…) the non-existence of a policy requiring vaccination certificates can lead to Brazil becoming one of the countries chosen by tourists and unvaccinated travelers,” Anvisa warned on 1 December by reiterating its recommendation.
In recent days, at least 20 of the 27 Brazilian capitals, including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, suspended the end of the year parties, following recommendations from scientific committees to prevent the spread of the omicron variant.
Brazil has accumulated more than 615,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, the second country with the most deaths in absolute numbers after the United States. (I)
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