MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay recalls yellow fever vax mandates are still in force

The vaccines need to be applied 10 days in advance

Paraguay's National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur) recalled Sunday that the measure requiring a certificate attesting to the traveler's vaccination against yellow fever was still in force in cases of high-risk destinations.

Foreign residents and Paraguayan nationals will need to produce that card in addition to all other necessary travel documents when arriving from or leaving for Bolivia (Beni and Santa Cruz), Brazil (Pará, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas), Colombia (Villagarzón, Orito, and Valle del Guamuez, Putumayo), French Guyana (Massara de la Cité Lethen), Peru (Junín; Ucayali, Ayacucho, San Martín, and Madre de Dios), and the following African countries: Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, and South Sudan. Vaccines must be applied at least 10 days prior to departure.

The Paraguayan legislation contemplates exemptions for patients advised by their physicians against taking the immunizers, in which case a note from the doctor or from a foreign Health Authority should be attached.

Also exempted from the injection are children under 1 year of age and people over 59 years old, as well as passengers in transit with stopovers of up to 24 hours in risk areas.

The Paraguayan Government also recalled that non-resident foreigners who do not have the vaccination certificate will not be allowed into the country, nor will those who do have the certificate but it is less than 10 days old.

Paraguayans and foreign residents who do not have the certificate will be subject to sanitary control for six days.

The Government remains open to analyzing the cases of foreigners arriving for humanitarian or business reasons, specialized technicians, crews, and any other situations that the country might deem necessary. In charge of these contingencies will be the Directorate of Surveillance and Border Control (cspe.dgvs@mspbs.gov.py).