MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

German family of 17 deported from Paraguay due to lack of COVID-19 vax

It was the Ministry of Health who decided the group should not be allowed through

Paraguayan authorities have deported a German family of 17 people who were all unvaccinated against COVID-19. They had sold all their assets to settle in the South American country, where other groups of European nationals have been reported to have migrated to avoid immunization mandates.

The arriving travelers were ordered to their point of boarding, as per Paraguayan immigration laws and sanitary measures currently in force, the National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (Dinac) explained.

The family stayed for several hours at Asunción's Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, after they were denied entry into the country for not being vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.

The family was composed of 17 members: father, mother, 13 children, and two grandchildren, who sold all their assets to settle in the country, where they have also purchased some land, it was reported.

The group did produce negative PCR tests, but health authorities demanded the sanitary pass attesting to them having taken at least two doses of vaccine.

Migrations Director Ángeles Arriola pointed out it was the Ministry of Health who decided the group should not be allowed through. The Ministry of Health requires non-resident foreigners to have a two-dose vaccination schedule to enter the country from 18 years of age.

The vaccination certificate must be in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish and must contain the data of the manufacturer of the vaccines applied and the batch of the doses applied, in addition to personal data, Paraguayan authorities also explained.

Some governments worldwide, such as that of the United Kingdom, are beginning to lift all COVID-19 related travel requirements.