Uruguay opens borders to foreigners and considers allowing tourists to be vaccinated

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Uruguayan government plans to begin reopening the borders in September, first for vaccinated property owners not residing in the country and then for vaccinated foreign tourists, while looking into the possibility of vaccinating tourists in light of the decline in coronavirus infections, local press reported Sunday.

Authorities will officially announce the measures at a press conference tomorrow, according to Montevideo daily El País.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Uruguay

Among the initial plans, vaccinated owners who are not residents of the country will be allowed to enter the country in September, and a month later, “if all goes well,” vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to enter with two doses and 15 days of immunization, Tourism Minister Germán Cardoso said.

Also, the Secretary of State for Public Health, José Luis Satdjian, said that people vaccinated against the coronavirus with the Sputnik V vaccine would be allowed to enter the country. However, this vaccine has not yet been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The measures were decided after several tour operators raised the issue.

The president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Uruguay, Francisco Rodriguez, said, “There is no going back. We are very battered, we are down. But we have willpower.”

Alejandro D’Elía, president of the Chamber of Hotels and Restaurants and head of the Chamber of Commerce of Maldonado, one of the hardest-hit departments, said, “It’s challenging to survive another season without opening the border. It is not feasible because domestic tourism is not the solution.”

Marina Cantera, president of the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism, also said that businesses are in debt and “many cannot reopen.”