The Chilean government has placed new measures, which are outlined in the Protected Borders Plan, in anticipation of the possible effects of Omicron, the new variant of Covid-19 detected in South Africa.
Following international recommendations and those of the Covid-19 Advisory Council, the Minister of Health, Alberto Dougnac, has decided to establish a series of measures aimed at safeguarding the health of the national population.
As of Dec. 1, non-resident aliens who have been in any of the following African countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique, during the last 14 days will be prohibited from entering Chile.
“Chilean and foreign residents who have been in these countries must undergo an entry PCR and comply with a quarantine of at least seven days, regardless of the negative result of their PCR and vaccination status,” says Dougnac in a press statement.
It was also decided to postpone the opening of the Chacalluta (Arica and Parinacota Region), Pino Hachado (Araucanía Region) and Colchane (Tarapaca Region) land crossings, which will remain closed until the situation is re-evaluated within two weeks. The air border crossing points at Santiago, Iquique, Antofagasta and Punta Arenas will remain operational.
Entry to Chile
According to Dougnac, all Chileans and resident foreigners, all non-resident foreigners with their vaccinations validated by the Ministry of Health, and all non-resident foreigners who meet the exceptional requirements of Decree 102 of the Ministry of the Interior and all children under 6 years of age, regardless of their nationality or vaccination status, may enter Chile through the authorized border crossings.
For Chileans and foreign residents, the entry requirements are: a negative PCR test taken in the country of origin no later than 72 hours before boarding the plane and an affidavit obtained from the website c19.cl.
To enter Chile, non-resident foreigners need to be fully vaccinated, and have the vaccination validated by the Chilean Ministry of Health, a negative PCR taken in the country of origin performed no more than 72 hours prior to departure, the affidavit obtained at c19.cl, a $30,000 medical insurance covering any disease associated with the coronavirus and a new PCR test performed upon arrival in the country, and a period of isolation until the negative result of the test is available.
As a safeguard measure, the health authority decided to postpone the decision to exempt non-resident foreigners with a third dose of vaccination from a test upon arrival in the country, so that “everyone will have to take a PCR at the point of entry and quarantine until the result is negative, regardless of their vaccination status,” explained Dougnac.
In addition, Dougnac reiterated, all persons over 6 years of age who may enter the country and who do not have their vaccines validated must undergo a PCR at the airport and be quarantined for seven days, even if the PCR result is negative.
“We will be strengthening genomic surveillance of all persons coming from abroad to detect the appearance of the new variant in a timely manner,” added Dougnac. “Those travelers with positive PCR and suspicion of the Omicron variant will have to carry out their mandatory quarantine in a sanitary residence or wherever the sanitary authority determines.”
When leaving the country, as of Dec. 1, the restrictions for traveling abroad from the authorized air border crossings will be eliminated, which means that neither a Mobility Pass nor a virtual police station permit will be required.
For more information, visit chile.travel.
For more destination news and updates on entry requirements, click here.
