Omicron variant: Ecuador announces travel restrictions

The authorities of Ecuador will ban the entry of foreign travelers from African countries and will require certificates of full vaccination from the rest to allow them to enter its territory, due to the detection of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus, the country announced yesterday. , Guillermo Lasso.

Ecuador has been added to the growing number of countries around the world taking action because of Omicron.

“For all of us in Ecuador, this variation should be seen as a wake-up call to make a greater effort to tackle the pandemic,” Mr Lasso said during a televised address to citizens, whom he called for to be vaccinated. “It’s time to renew our fight against the pandemic,” he insisted.

The measures will take effect tomorrow, Wednesday, December 1st.

Travelers coming from or passing through South Africa – where Omicron was identified on Friday -, Botswana, Egypt, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Namibia will not be allowed to enter the territory.

Travelers from the rest of the world must present a certificate of complete vaccination and a certificate that they have undergone a negative PCR test within the previous 72 hours to be allowed entry. Children between the ages of two and sixteen are not excluded.

The appearance of the new variant was recorded shortly after the decision taken by Quito to open (from tomorrow) the border with Colombia. The government will now take a more gradual approach to opening up, the head of state said. “The first phase will concern the transport of goods with biosafety protocols, under the agreements of the Ministries of Transport of the two countries,” said Mr. Lasso.

The government hopes to have vaccinated 85% of the population by December, and the Conservative president has assured that a sufficient number of doses is available to achieve this goal.