Peru: Authorities to allow international flights to resume from October 5 /update 30

Event

Peruvian authorities will allow international flights with Latin American countries to resume on Monday, October 5, after having been suspended since March due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Passengers entering the country will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result dated within the 72 hours prior to boarding their flight. The country's land borders remain closed.

Peru's state of emergency was extended until at least October 31. Restrictions under the state of emergency, including a nationwide 23:00-04:00 (local time) curfew, a ban on social gatherings, and the compulsory use of face masks in public places, remain in place nationwide. However, enhanced measures have been implemented in some areas with identified COVID-19 clusters, including a full Sunday curfew in the Cusco, Puno, Moquegua, and Tacna regions, and an extended 20:00-04:00 curfew in the provinces of Huamanga, Abancay, and Huanuco. The regions can be viewed here. 

As of Sunday, October 4, there have been 821,564 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Peru with 32,609 associated fatalities. Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) rec

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:

• Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.
• If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness, including pneumonia, call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the disease.