The government of São Paulo sent this Wednesday (8) a letter to the Ministry of Health asking for the “immediate adoption” of proof of vaccination, the so-called vaccine passport, for travelers arriving in Brazil.
According to Governor João Doria (PSDB), if the requirement is not implemented by the federal government at airports and ports by the 15th of this month, it will be applied by the state management in SP. Doria did not clarify, however, how the measure could be put into effect.
“If by December 15th the federal government does not adopt the passport, São Paulo will, yes, and will demand yes at its international airports. This is our right, despite being physically owned by the federal government and the administration of Infraero, but the territory of the state of São Paulo is the responsibility of the government of the state of São Paulo and the same applies to the ports. This procedure will be adopted by our Health Department and by our State Immunization Program”, said the governor at a press conference this Wednesday afternoon.
The request was made on the recommendation of experts from Covid’s scientific committee who advise the state administration.
However, the entry of foreigners is the responsibility of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), the Federal Police and the Federal Revenue – agencies linked to the federal government -, as well as the implementation of hygiene, sanitation and behavior protocols at the Airport International of Guarulhos.
Only spaces such as check-in and airport parking, for example, can be operated by the Military Police, Civil Police and Metropolitan Civil Guard.
“People who are vaccinated, with full coverage, they are not free from being infected and eventually transmitting the virus, but they are much less likely to be infected and to have a viral load that allows them to transmit the virus to others people at the destination of their travels. So, it is in this sense that we place the importance of this measure”, defended Paulo Menezes, coordinator of the Committee.
São Paulo is the main port of entry for foreigners in the country, receiving two thirds of international flights arriving in the country.
The request had already been made by other municipal managers in the capital of São Paulo and Guarulhos, and follows the recommendation of the Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), but has been criticized and denied by the federal government.
“We need access control measures for travelers who end up entering here with the requirement of proof of complete vaccination, also known as a vaccine passport, as well as the need, at source, to carry out the tests. Tests are carried out 48 hours before boarding with the PCR, 24 hours before boarding with the antigen test”, defended the state secretary of Health, Jean Gorinchteyn.
“Only in this way will we be able to properly control our borders, preventing the entry, especially, of new variants”, he added.
five day quarantine
This Tuesday (7), the federal government will ask for a five-day quarantine for unvaccinated travelers who leave other countries and land in Brazil. According to the government, the idea is to promote a “reopening of borders” due to the current rates of vaccination of the Brazilian population.
The statement by ministers Ciro Nogueira (Casa Civil) and Marcelo Queiroga (Health) was marked by strong criticism of the recommendations for a “vaccine passport” and stricter requirements for vaccination.
In the speech, Queiroga and Nogueira made no mention of the requirement for a “vaccine passport”. Two measures were announced:
- demand negative RT-PCR test, performed up to 72 hours before, for passengers coming from abroad and arriving in Brazil;
- demand five-day quarantine for unvaccinated individuals arriving in the country, followed by an RT-PCR test. If the result is negative, the passenger is released to transit on Brazilian soil.
The ad maintains the rules that were already in place for vaccinated passengers (requirement for a negative test and health declaration) and adds this five-day quarantine for unvaccinated passengers. The protocol update has not yet been published in the “Official Gazette”.
In a note after the statement, Anvisa stated that “it awaits the publication of the new ordinance on updating the exceptional and temporary measures for entry into the country as a way of confronting Covid-19” – that is, that it does not know the content of the new ordinance.
Until now, to enter Brazil, all travelers (Brazilian or foreign) only needed to present the Traveler’s Health Declaration (DSV), which can be filled out on the Anvisa website, and a negative RT-PCR test performed within 72 hours of departure.
