The authorities explain the health rules as Chile opens its borders to vaccinated foreigners
From October 1, non-resident foreigners will be able to enter Chile with a Pase de Movillidad (Mobility Pass). The number of days of quarantine will also be reduced to five and quarantine hotels will be abolished.
After six months, thanks to the progress made in the fight against COVID-19, anyone who has been fully vaccinated will be able to enter Chilean territory from Friday, October 1, provided they have had their vaccination scheme approved beforehand. In this way, the government is taking another step towards restoring people’s ability to move around to pre-pandemic levels.
Changes to the Plan de Fronteras Protegidas (Protected Borders Plan) mean that non-resident foreigners will now be able to enter Chile with a Mobility Pass. They must first validate their vaccination scheme on the mevacuno.gob.cl website; submit a digital affidavit at www.c19.cl; present a negative PCR test given less than 72 hours before traveling and show proof of medical insurance with a minimum coverage of US$30,000. Upon arrival in Chile, they will have to complete a five-day preventative quarantine. Quarantine hotels will cease to operate and people will instead be able to self-isolate in regular hotels or a private residence that they declare on arrival.
Tourism Undersecretary José Luis Uriarte stated that “the opening of borders to foreigners who have completed their vaccination scheme is a huge step forward towards getting tourism up and running again. We know that there is still a long way to go, but little by little we are seeing things get better. Proof of this is the number of people employed in the sector, which was 515,000 higher in the last quarter. We are confident that tourism will get back on its feet but for this to happen, control of the pandemic is key.”
Undersecretary Uriarte went over details of the health regulations, alongside Head of the Agriculture and Livestock Service’s (SAG) Border Control Division, Oscar Camacho, and Deputy Communications & Customer Experience Manager at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez Airport, Manuel Valencia. He drew attention to details of the new information campaign aimed at those entering the country, which will be on permanent display in the airport, as well as provided on aircrafts prior to arrival in Chile.
Oscar Camacho explained that “we are asking people not to bring prohibited plant and animal-based products that could contain pests and diseases into our country, as they put the health of our agriculture and environment at risk. SAG has reinforced its controls at the airport and we ask that everyone fill out their digital affidavit in advance, before boarding their flight to Chile, in order to speed up the process and prevent congestion. On a different note, those traveling with dogs and cats must fill out the paperwork in advance and find out the health requirements at the pet’s final destination. All of this information can be found at www.sag.cl.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Valencia recommended that passengers arrive at the airport early, due to the additional documentation that may be required at check-in counters. “Ideally, you should allow three to four hours for international flights and two to three for domestic ones. The idea is for everyone to arrive with enough time to carry out the procedures in a smooth and safe way, keeping social distance and complying with health protocols.”
Mr. Valencia also commented that, due to the increase in passengers that the new measures may cause, the airport will continue to apply a health safety protocol that includes 70 hand sanitizer dispensers, 25 service assistants, 4,500 social distancing stickers, daily sanitization using quaternary ammonium and constant messages given over the airport’s loudspeakers.