MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Health pass to be required in Argentina starting Jan. 1

The pass will be required as of Jan. 1

The Government of Argentina has finally announced a health pass with being required for people aged 13 and over to attend or carry out “activities of high epidemiological and sanitary risk,” according to the administrative decision signed by President Alberto Fernández, Cabinet Chief Juan Manzur and Health Minister Carla Vizzotti.

People encompassed by the decree “must prove that they have a complete vaccination scheme against Covid,” the document read and proof of it must be presented before public or private staff appointed to verify the fulfilment of the new rule.

Activities reached by the passed measure are indoor dance venues, group trips, and mass events garnering over 1,000 people even if in outdoor settings.

People will be required to produce the vaccination cards through the “CuidAr” app for smartphones, for which version 3.6 is needed. It is now available for download in a trial version and will be fully operational from January 1, 2022, authorities announced.

“The correct process ... is to uninstall the application and reinstall” the newest version, it was explained.

Government officials also said that “if the self-diagnosis of the application shows any symptom compatible with COVID-19 or if the person is notified in the National Health Surveillance System as an active case of coronavirus,” the screen will be blocked, thus banning people from accessing any other screen or certificate until this condition is modified.”

People unable to access the application may request their vaccination cards in print as long as they are not suffering from the disease.

The Health Ministry will determine the criteria for defining the complete vaccination scheme against Covid.

Each jurisdiction will also be allowed to require the vaccination card for other activities, depending on the epidemiological situation, the local vaccination plan and the progress in vaccination coverage against the coronavirus.

The Cuidar health pass is a measure promoted by the Federal Health Council (of health ministers of the 23 provinces plus the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires)

The new measure has been established through administrative decision Nº2021-1198.

The vaccination schedule “must have been completed at least 14 days before attending the activity or event,” it was also announced.