Chile to Reopen Its Borders to International Tourists Next Month

Chile, a South American country known for its wine and beautiful landscapes, plans to reopen to tourists in December.

Visitors will have to fly into Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport and present proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival. They’ll also have to provide a sworn health statement and consent to be monitored by app on a daily basis.

International passengers who meet Chile’s entrance requirements won’t have to quarantine and will be free to wander around the country, presuming they keep officials updated about their health and any coronavirus symptoms they may experience.

“All the people who enter the country, Chileans and foreigners, will be under a surveillance period of 14 days. They will have to report their symptoms and location,” Chile’s Undersecretary of Public Health Paula Daza told La Tercera.

Daza told the publication that visitors who fail to comply may face consequences, though it wasn’t clear what those might be.

That app is still under development, La Tercera reported.

In Chile, travelers will have to navigate national and local curfews, wear face coverings in all urban areas, and accept that restrictions may change rapidly and disrupt their travel plans.

Chile closed its borders to nonessential travel in March as countries around the world were doing the same to stem the spread of coronavirus across borders. Only Chileans and residents have been able to enter since.

Chile has so far reported more than a half a million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 15,000 deaths. Reports peaked in June, with more than 6,000 cases a day, but have since declined to fewer than 2,000 a day — a level that La Tercera said still concerns some experts.