Covid-19/Omicron: Brazilian Health Minister signals he is against resuming restrictions on movement

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Health Minister, Marcelo Queiroga, said on Thursday (02) that requiring proof of vaccination for entry into the country is a complex decision that should be taken by all ministries involved with the issue. Queiroga also signaled that he is against resuming circulation restrictions.

“This is a sensitive issue that involves health issues, but also involves other issues, such as the right of people to move freely,” said the minister during a meeting about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The National Health Regulator (Anvisa) and the Federal Audit Court (TCU) have already recommended the requirement of proof of vaccination for travelers, but the government is resisting.

The decision, however, will be up to the working group composed of the Ministries of Health, Justice and Infrastructure, under the coordination of the Civil House.

In line with what Justice Minister Anderson Torres has already said, Queiroga recalled that the first two positive cases of the omicron variant were confirmed in people vaccinated with the two doses, which would prove that vaccinated people can also become infected and transmit covid-19.

The two passengers, who came from South Africa, have passed through Ethiopia and São Paulo and are currently in Brasilia. One is showing mild symptoms and the other is asymptomatic.

The Health Minister said that, for the time being, the new strain is not a reason for panic. He stressed the importance of vaccination and said that the country cannot go back to the isolation measures of the beginning of the pandemic.

“We cannot go from a libertarian situation, of parties, New Year’s Eve and Carnival, to a situation of total closure of our economy, because we already know the consequences. And there is no reason for that,” said Queiroga.

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