Fernando de Noronha resumes demand for mask and Covid exam

The administration of Fernando de Noronha announced, this Thursday (6), the strengthening of the sanitary protocol for the entry of tourists and the movement of people in the archipelago. The new rules will take effect on January 13.

The announcement came after the mayor of Recife, João Campos (PSB), tested positive for Covid-19 after traveling to the Pernambuco archipelago in the first days of the year.

With the new rules, Fernando de Noronha is once again required to have a negative test for Covid with the RT-PCR exam carried out no more than 48 hours before departure to the archipelago. In addition, the need to prove the complete vaccination cycle against Covid is maintained, with two doses of AstraZeneca, Coronavac or Pfizer or a single dose of Janssen.

For children aged 7 to 11 years, public whose vaccination against Covid has not yet started in Brazil, it is enough to present the RT-PCR, carried out no more than 48 hours (two days) before boarding. According to the new protocol, children from 0 to 6 years old do not need to present an exam.

The use of the mask, which was released in public outdoor spaces, will again be mandatory in Fernando de Noronha from next Thursday.

Until the 12th, the current protocol remains in force, which dispenses with masks in open spaces and establishes only complete vaccination as a requirement to enter Fernando de Noronha.

With New Year’s Eve parties released in October, the group of islands had at the end of the year several public and private meetings, including artists and politicians from Pernambuco and other states of the country.

The new measures were announced hours after the mayor of Recife released the diagnosis for Covid on social media.

He was in Noronha on a leisure trip accompanied by friends and his girlfriend, federal deputy Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP), who also contracted the disease. Both said they have mild symptoms and went into social isolation.

On social media, João Campos also said that other family members who spent New Year’s Eve with him were also infected by the coronavirus. On New Year’s Eve, the mayor was in Recife.

It is the second time that the mayor of Recife is diagnosed with the disease. The first time was in January 2021.

Officially, the administration of Fernando de Noronha, linked to the government of Pernambuco, justified that the new measures take place “due to the increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 across the country and with the worldwide advancement of the ômicron variant”.

“It is important to understand that the pandemic gains new contours from the new variant and we have to be prepared, readapting our protocol to protect our entire community, as well as our visitors”, said administrator Guilherme Rocha.

The administration of Fernando de Noronha also provides a service via WhatsApp for interested parties to ask questions about the protocols for entering the island. Messages are answered by the local health surveillance team, at the numbers (81) 98494-0313, (81) 98494-0520 and (81) 99488-4366. The service is from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm. On Saturdays, the hours are from 8 am to 12 pm.

In Fernando de Noronha, the immunization rate of the adult population against Covid is 100%. The last transfer of a patient with a serious case of Covid to Recife took place in July. The procedure is done because Noronha has no ICU beds (Intensive Care Unit) facing Covid.