The archipelago is a national park and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Brazil. Last year it received 106,000 tourists, 90% of whom were Brazilian
The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, in Brazil, has just opened its doors to tourists again, although with a peculiar condition: they can only visit it if they have overcome the coronavirus.
This has been decided by the local authorities. Starting this week, Brazil’s popular tourist destination is open to visitors, but only for those who have been infected with the disease and have fully recovered from it.
Potential tourists will have to undergo a PCR virus test or an IgG antibody test at least 20 days before arriving on the island.
Proof that they have passed the virus
Guilherme Rocha, an administrator of the archipelago, has indicated that the local government is desperate to boost the economy of the island, which is 339 kilometers off the northeast coast of Brazil. And for that, they want to be strict when it comes to receiving visitors.
“In this first stage of reopening, only tourists who have already had Covid and have recovered and are immune to the disease will be authorized [since] they can neither transmit it, nor be infected again,” Rocha said in statements collected by LAD Bible.
This group of 21 volcanic islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, has around 3,500 permanent inhabitants and was closed to non-residents on March 21. On July 31 it was reopened only for people who have homes within the islands and local researchers.
The archipelago is a national park and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Brazil. Last year it received 106,000 tourists, 90% of whom were Brazilian.
Although cases of people who have fallen ill with coronavirus twice have emerged, Rocha notes that the decision to reopen the area was based on science and that he believes it is safe.
Zero deaths
“What we’ve seen is that these cases of reinfection are very rare and very debatable. There are doubts. The current understanding is that someone who has already had this disease is immune. So this is the protocol we are following,” he explains.
For now, Fernando de Noronha is doing well, as to date it has not recorded any deaths from the pandemic.