As a measure of control of the spread of coronavirus in Chile, it was established that anyone entering the country from Italy, Spain, Iran, China, Korea, Japan, France and Germany must remain in solitary confinement for 14 days from their departure from one of these countries to a possible contagion of covid-19.
Surveillance of this measure, recorded in Ordinary No. 770 of the Undersecretariat for Public Health, shall be carried out by the Health Authority, who shall monitor cases until the isolation is met, according to the Protocol of Identification and Safety for Travellers Who Come from Countries with Local Transmission of covid-19, under the classification of high-risk travellers.
How does this measure operate?
From the Undersecretariat for Tourism and Sernatur they pointed out the scope of this measure and clarified that, given the dynamisms in the evolution of this outbreak at the global level, the health authorities analyze, evaluate and update the prevention, monitoring and control measures in a periodical manner.
Passengers who are in flight after the measure has been officialized must keep the period of isolation established in the protocol.
All travelers arriving in Chile from at-risk countries will be subject to protocol, regardless of whether they passed through a third country that has not been tailored before arriving in the national territory. For example, if you were in Italy or Spain and then traveled to Brazil for 5 days, when you return to Chile you must remain on the remaining days (9) in isolation. If they come directly from the country at risk, they must keep insulation for 14 days.
In the meantime, persons who have a connection or scale in the countries mentioned in the control measure, without having entered the territories of those countries, are not subject to home isolation. In such a case, passengers should only report the situation in the affidavit that is delivered to the access points to Chile.
Where is the insulation performed?
With regard to the place where the isolation is to be carried out, the health authorities indicate that the isolation may be carried out in private homes of the traveler’s own family and/or friends or, failing that, in a tourist accommodation service, informing the management of the premises to the Health Authority.
In the latter case, the cost must necessarily be financed by each visitor and it is recommended, according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health, that the room be ideally individual, with private bathroom and good ventilation conditions.
A relevant point to consider regarding isolation is that people should not necessarily comply with the 14-day isolation in Chile. Therefore, travellers entering the country from those countries for less than 14 days can decide between complying with the isolation in Chile or returning to chile and the same applies to aircraft crews. In both cases transfers to and from the place of accommodation and the airport must be carried out under the protocols indicated to them by the Health Authority the minute they enter the country.
Chile’s tourism authorities reiterate the call, both for the national tourism industry and to travelers entering Chile, to exercise responsible and informed tourism and to collaborate with the adoption of preventive measures aimed at safeguarding the health of the population.
More information in the Monitoring Protocol for travellers from countries or areas with coVID-19 sustained transmission: https://www.minsal.cl/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020.03.10_PROTOCOLO-DETECCION-VIAJEROS_AEROPUERTOS.pdf
