Uruguay plans to reopen borders in spring and study there is no mandatory quarantine for tourists

Excited by the fall in contagions of coronavirus, the Uruguayan government plans to launch reopen borders in order to vaccinated people in spring.

With a vaccination campaign very advanced –59% of the population has already received both doses– and one contagion collapses since May -in the last few weeks the average number of daily cases has fallen to 5% of what it was at the peak of the wave-, the country is getting closer to the back to normal.

The country applied nearly 129 doses per 100 inhabitants, most Coronavac of Sinovac (69.3%), followed by Pfizer-BioNTech (29%) and Oxford-AstraZeneca (1.7%).

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In this context – and although outbreaks persist Montevideo, Maldonado, Paysand Yes Canelones-, the government decided not to demand quarantine to those who come from abroad. Fortunately, this is corroborated by what I have heard from scientists these days, namely that the vaccination status in our country is different from the one we had in the P1 [la variante Gamma surgida en Manaos, Brasil]. We are not armored but we are in a better situation ”, declared the President Luis Lacalle Pou at a press conference.

“And we think in the spring that foreigners come with the full process of vaccination, in order to breathe life into one of the most popular activities of tourism, it will be a contradiction in a short time [de eso] start asking for the quarantine, among other things because we believe that it is not necessary due to the situation of the virus current situation and the protection enjoyed by a large majority of Uruguayans who have opted for to get vaccinated“, aggregate.

Enrique Anta, Mayor of Maldonado, one of the most visited destinations by Argentines, recently said it was in favor of allowing the vaccination of tourists from the spring and bringing forward the summer season. “I think that we could, until next November, have a way of vaccination for all who visit us. It would be a good investment for the government to have vaccines for anyone who has not been vaccinated and they come with a PCR free and are vaccinated here “, he analyzed.

With 58% occupancy of the intensive care beds, and only 20% by Covid-19, the government continues to progress gradually towards the reopening: this Monday the officials they left the home office and the return of all the students ended at schools, Although the presence It is for days and small groups.

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Lacalle Pou assured that there was “little left” to reopen and reported that the back to the public in indoor football and that later it will be the turn of the public return to professional sport Across the country.

However, the tourism -which represents about 8 points of the PBI Uruguayan – continues to be one of the main outstanding accounts and the government established the spring as a possible reopening horizon, depending on the epidemiological situation and the new variants. The country has already confirmed 26 infections with Delta in the last days.

While the border closure For now, the government has decided to extend the qualification of entry into the country without compulsory quarantine for people with complete immunization schedule (14 days before admission) or they have cured of the disease within the previous 90 days from your arrival at Uruguay. Those who want to travel should take a test PCR 72 hours before then another on the seventh day of the first test, or maintain isolation for 14 days.

The measure covers Uruguayans, residents Yes foreign that may justify their displacement and fall under the exceptions provided for by decree 104/020.