Brazil begins to request proof of vaccination against Covid-19 to those who enter the country

Brazil began this Monday to require the Covid-19 vaccination card from those who enter the country, in compliance with a court order that contravenes the will of the government of President Jair Bolsonaro.

The national senatorial regulator Anvisa He said that “on Monday he notified his border posts, especially at airports, of the immediate compliance with the decision of the Supreme Federal Court that determines the requirement of proof of vaccination for travelers entering the country.”

The measure responds to an order from a supreme court judge who on Saturday made the health passport mandatory to enter Brazil in order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

Although the determination must be validated between Wednesday and Thursday by another nine magistrates of the highest court, Anvisa assured that it began to execute it this Monday at all airports with arrival of international flights.

“The decision [del tribunal] it has immediate effect, without a period of adaptation, and, therefore, requires the Agency to carry out specific evaluations, especially in relation to passengers who were already in motion or in transit at the time the decision was issued, “he said. Anvisa in your note.

When detecting cases of Omicron, the agency recommended to the government to request the vaccination card, but Bolsonaro, a critic of prevention measures against the covid and who refuses to be vaccinated, dismissed it, claiming that it is a “strap” for the Brazilian people and that it threatens “freedom “.

The Executive then chose to establish a mandatory five-day quarantine for unimmunized travelers arriving at Brazil, a measure that was also recommended by Anvisa. That requirement, however, will enter into force on December 18.

In recent weeks, Brazilians have witnessed an intense debate between the government, scientists and local authorities about whether the vaccination certificate should be required, when the country registers at least eleven cases of the Omicron variant and expects a greater arrival of tourists during the end of the year festivities.

Brazil has accumulated more than 616,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, the second country with the most deaths in absolute numbers after the United States.

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