Brazil's Fernando de Noronha island reopens to allow COVID-19 recovered tourists only

One of Brazil's most attractive tourist hotspots, the beautiful archipelago of Fernando de Noronha has announced that it will allow outsiders to tour the island easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

According to The Guardian, the tourists have been banned from the UNESCO World Heritage site since March when the pandemic forced several parts of Brazil into partial shutdown. According to the John Hopkins Coronavirus tally, Brazil has the world's second-highest death toll with the number crossing over the 120,000 mark.

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Proof of tests required

As per reports, the visitors will be permitted into the island situated 211 miles off Brazil’s north-eastern coast from Tuesday with test results certifying that they do not carry the infection or have been infected and recovered. The results of two types of tests – PCR virus tests and IgG antibody tests – will be accepted if conducted at least 20 days before arrival.

The archipelago’s administrator Guilherme Rocha is reported to have said that during the first phase of reopening, only those tourists who have had and recovered from COVID-19 will be allowed on the island since they cannot spread the disease to a next person. 

Fernando de Noronha contains a spectacular chain of 21 islands with islets and volcanic outcrops considered to be one of Brazil’s most attractive tourist destinations. Rocha said that the island witnesses 100,000 tourists each year who pays a daily tax to support conservation efforts. 

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Brazil, which is the second worst-hit nation from the novel coronavirus, has recorded more than three million recovered cases now. According to the latest data from the Health Ministry, the country has reported more than 120,000 fatalities from the virus taking its total tally of infections nearly to 3,847,000.

Health professionals in Brazil have denounced President Jair Bolsonaro for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing him of committing "crimes against humanity" in a judicial complaint to the International Court of Justice. The medics have accused the far-right leader of neglect and contempt by promoting large gatherings, medication like hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 without any scientific proof, and venturing into public without a mask.

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