Covid-19: São Paulo City Hall urges federal government to demand vaccination passports from foreigners

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The São Paulo City Hall announced that it has sent a letter to the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) requesting the enforcement of the vaccine passport requirement for foreigners entering Brazil.

The letter, sent Tuesday, November 23, was signed by Municipal Health Secretary Edson Aparecido, and aims to maintain control of the pandemic in the city of São Paulo, in addition to containing the infection rate indexes of the disease.

The City Hall reported that ANVISA and the Ministry of Health have acknowledged receipt of the document.

City Hall data indicate that on Tuesday, November 23, the city had an occupancy rate of 30% of ward beds and 34% of ICU beds, and has exceeded 99.7% of the adult population immunized with the second or single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

According to the Secretary, with the surge of the pandemic in foreign countries, concern over a new Covid-19 wave in Brazilian cities is growing. “Brazil receives many people, from many countries, and we need to adopt all possible measures to prevent the disease from spreading. Here in the capital, we are adopting all means to fight new variants and we are sure that [Health] Minister Marcelo Queiroga is studying the request,” Aparecido said in a statement.

The Ministry of Health has not confirmed it received the letter, but said in a statement that “the criteria for the entry of foreigners or Brazilians coming from abroad are developed through integrated and inter-ministerial procedures, focusing at all times on the safety and welfare of the Brazilian population.”

According to the Ministry, the current guidelines to enter Brazil are set out in Ordinance No. 658/2021, which requires the presentation of a document proving a negative or non-detectable result for Covid-19 at the time of boarding.

The ordinance, which was prepared by the President’s Chief of Staff and the Ministries of Justice and Public Safety, Health, and Infrastructure, does not establish proof of vaccination as a requirement to enter Brazil.

In a statement, ANVISA said it does not decide on the rules to enter the country, but rather the Chief of Staff and the above-mentioned Ministries.

“In compliance with its role under Law No. 13,979/20, namely to issue an opinion of an advisory nature, ANVISA has submitted its position on the issue, and sent a technical note to the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic, for consideration by the Ministers of State.”

The agency has not indicated if its opinion is contrary or favorable to the requirement of proof of vaccination by foreigners entering Brazil.