Paradise Island Open To Tourists But Only If You've Had Covid-19

Have you had Covid-19 and fancy a holiday? Then this could just be the thing you've been waiting for as the picturesque island of Fernando de Noronha is back open for business.

From this week the popular tourist destination in Brazil is open to visitors, but only if you've already had coronavirus.

In order to be eligible to go and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, tourists have to prove that they have been infected with the disease and recovered fully from it.

They will have to submit one of two types of tests - PCR virus tests or IgG antibody tests - which has to be taken at least 20 days before arriving on the island.

PA

Guilherme Rocha, the archipelago's administrator, says the local government is desperate to boost the economy of the island which is 211 miles off the coast of Brazil's north-east coast.

He said: "In this first stage of reopening, only tourists who have already had Covid and have recovered and are immune to the disease will be authorized [since] they can neither transmit it, nor be infected again."

But while some have urged for caution after a man in Hong Kong became reinfected with the deadly disease despite having already recovered from it in March, Rocha stated the decision to reopen the area was based on science and he believes it is safe.

He said: "What we've seen is that these cases of reinfection are very rare and very debatable. There are doubts.

"The current understanding is that someone who has already had this disease is immune. So this is the protocol we are following."

PA

The island has around 3,500 permanent residents and was closed to outsiders on 21 March.

Those residents who left for the mainland were only allowed to return in June once community transmission had been eradicated.

Rocha added: "So far we have had zero deaths - precisely because of the controls introduced by the government."

This comes as Public Health Wales urged every passenger who was on bard a recent TUI flight has been told to self-isolate after seven people tested positive for coronavirus.

The health body advised everyone who was on the flight from Zante to Cardiff to stay home and get a test.

They said the infections originated in three different groups that were on board the TUI flight 6215, which landed in Wales on 25 August.

Topics: Science, World News, Coronavirus, Health

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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