Argentine Minister of Tourism and Sports Matías Lammens confirmed on Saturday that air and sea borders will be opened “imminently” with neighbouring countries for tourism for the upcoming summer campaign, which begins in December.
It will be the first time that Argentine borders have opened up to tourism since March, when the Government closed them due to the covid-19 pandemic, of which Argentina is so far the fifth country in the world with the most confirmed cases, with more than one million contagions.
In dialogue with local broadcaster Radio Mitre, Lammens indicated that the countries from which you can travel to Argentina will be “Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile”. In the case of Brazil, it is Argentina’s main tourism partner.
The holder of Tourism and Sports emphasized that only Argentina can be entered by air or sea, and that land border crossings will remain closed except “probably” one of them in which there is “good health situation”.
No reciprocity
He also assured that they will not ask the rest of the countries for reciprocity when allowing Argentine tourists to enter for this southern summer, which runs from mid-December to mid-March.
“Actually (this) is an Argentine decision to receive tourists. As for the tourists who leave and who leave we are not going to ask countries for reciprocity, health policies have to be dictated by countries,” he said.
In Uruguay, one of the countries from which you can go to Argentina, its president, Luis Lacalle Pou, confirmed on Thursday that, during the southern summer, borders will be “basically closed” to foreigners to avoid the increase in covid-19 cases except for exceptions that remain until now by decree.
Demand for un quarantined PCR
Lammens indicated that they are “working” on the protocols that will ask foreign tourists to enter Argentina, and spoke of a pcr test they will have to pass before arriving in the country and “some more tests” that they might demand upon arrival in the country.
In the case of those arriving by boat from Uruguay, they will be given a pcr “on board”, according to Lammens.
In any case, tourists arriving in Argentina will not have to quarantine on arrival.
“We’ve worked with the Ministry of Health all week to put the conditions that this can happen, we think it’s an important income and also a new page in this pandemic,” Lammens said.
The minister added that they are currently working with the Government of the city of Buenos Aires “to establish the corresponding protocols” and that they will create “a health bubble” between the main airport of Buenos Aires, located in the town of Ezeiza, and hotels in the city where tourists will be transferred.
“Because there is no masmen, it is perfectly possible, ” remarked Lammens.
In the face of coronavirus outbreaks that may occur during the summer, Lammens confirmed that the Government will set up 18 modular hospitals “in the busiest tourist towns.”
