Hmmm: Brazil Once Again Open To International Visitors

By: Ben Schlappig

Updated: November 23, 2022
Published: July 31, 2020

43 comments

Brazil sure is taking an interesting approach to once again welcoming tourists…

In this post:

Brazil’s borders are once again open

Like so many countries around the world, Brazil largely closed its borders back in March, in order to slow the spread of coronavirus. Unfortunately much like in the US, the strategy didn’t work very well.

Brazil has the second most confirmed coronavirus cases (2.6+ million) and also second most confirmed coronavirus deaths (91K+), after the US. The number of new cases in the country keeps increasing, and a couple of days ago (July 29) the country reported over 69K cases, the most it has recorded in one day.

Despite that situation, Brazil has as of this week opened its borders to foreign visitors. The country is welcoming tourists from around the world with no restrictions, other than that health insurance is required for the duration of the trip.

While I absolutely wouldn’t recommend planning a trip to Brazil right now, this does make Brazil one of only a few destinations that Americans can travel to without any restrictions.

The US still has a travel ban against Brazil

Back in May the US introduced a travel ban against Brazil. I’m not sure the US is really in a position to ban visitors from countries where coronavirus hasn’t been handled well, but…

With this travel ban, the United States isn’t allowing non-Americans who have been to Brazil in the past 14 days to enter. There are some exceptions, like family members of Americans, and those with essential reasons for travel.

With Brazil having opened its borders, this means that Americans are now allowed to travel to Brazil and return without any sort of testing or quarantine requirement. Again, I would highly recommend against that, but it is possible.

Bottom line

Brazil has reopened its borders to foreign visitors, after shutting them back in March. I can’t imagine many people will be planning trips to Brazil anytime soon given the extent to which coronavirus isn’t under control there.

In some way I almost can’t blame Brazil for reopening its borders, since it’s not like most people coming from outside the country are more likely to have coronavirus than those within the country. Then again, the much bigger issue is the lack of capacity the country has for people getting hospitalized, which is why borders should probably stay closed.

Support OMAAT

Conversations (43)

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Comment as a member

Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.

Loading comments…

Recent Comments

The latest from the OMAAT community.

REGINALDO MARCOS DA SILVA SANTOS Guest

October 17, 2020, 1:07 pm

I'm brazilian. I live in the south of Brazil (São Borja, Rio Grande do Sul, on the border with Argentina). We live in times where the press, mostly composed of people with ideological tendencies on the left (socialists), are against the federal government. Several public health workers, including the National Health Agency (ANVISA), are also true leftist militants. Furthermore, we are in times of municipal elections, where corrupt politicians look for any opportunity to embezzle public money. Covid-19 data in Brazil, in this context, regarding lethality, have been systematically distorted. The federation states have imposed an obligation to report even minimally suspected deaths as Covid-19 deaths. Thus, for example, a victim of blood cancer (leukemia), who can usually die with high fever and pneumonia, must be treated as having died by Covid-19 and is thus counted in the statistics. There are several cases reported in our city and which we are aware of throughout Brazil. The artificial increase in the number of deaths by Covid-19 serves the interests of unethical people, leftist opponents of the Federal government, by damaging the image in Brazil and in the World, and of politicians who divert the enormous amount of money destined to fight the pandemic , without the control usually applicable to public spending (part of that money will end up in this year's campaigns).

‼ 0

Mh Diamond

August 3, 2020, 9:17 pm

What tosh, Andy. NZ borders closed, and there has been no issue. OTOH, look where things have reopened after being clear, such as on the Hurtigruen cruise ship, or Tahiti, and infections have started again after there being none. In fact, in most places where the virus has started up again, it's due to travellers coming in due to not managing the quarantine effectively.

‼ 0

glenn t Diamond

August 2, 2020, 9:02 pm

There was a widely read book published in 1958 titled The Ugly American, to do with the ugly things the US government of the day was up to. A film with Marlon Brando followed in 1963. I can't wait for the 2021 sequel, The Stupid American, which will have a hefty chapter on the US Covid-19 response, with examples of ignorant commentary from super-stupid Americans lifted verbatim from this very blog! Of course with a probable 700 pages, practically no-one here will read it, preferring to wait for the 100 minute movie.

‼ 0

Jan Guest

August 2, 2020, 1:33 pm

@Kin Silva very good comment. The reality is we can't stop spreading worldwide and that is not a problem because it is not a deadly virus. over 70% are over 80 years old and over 90% had pre existing illness. the virus itself doesn't kill anyone... its the pre existing illnesses. So if its not covid they die it its perhaps the next flu. The collateral damage in most countries is much worse than the virus. Brazil did right in reopening borders and all other countries should follow. Closing borders doesn't help at all. People worldwide are crazy... they behave like it would be ebola.

‼ 0

Richard Guest

August 2, 2020, 12:27 am

@Kendor I have been traveling to South America and Central America for 15 years. Brazil is wonderful place to visit, Manaus you travel the amazon, Rio has the beaches and the new wonder of the World Cristo, and Sao Paulo is the mega city with 25 million plus people the largest in South America. If you want to find a hidden gem in South America is Colombia, Cartagena is an old Spanish city on the Caribbean Sea, Cali is where the salsa dance was invented, Medellin el poblado district is the night life with many casinos and Bogota is the mega city and capital the start of Andes mountains.

‼ 0