PAHO's Director of Health Emergencies, Ciro Ugarte, advised on Wednesday not to depend on quarantines or diagnostic tests to resume non-essential trips, and cited a document with recommendations that the agency just published at the request of its member countries.

As PAHO, we are very aware of the need for states dependent on tourism to reactivate their economy, said Ugarte at a press conference, stressing that reopening borders implies accepting and mitigating the risk of contagion.

But once the decision was made, he recommended monitoring the health status of tourists during the first 14 days of their stay without forcing them to isolate themselves.

This monitoring, he said, must be done with the collaboration of tourists themselves, hotels and the tourism industry in general, and in a context of local compliance with public health measures to prevent infections.

On the other hand, he ruled out that covid-19 diagnostic tests prior to a trip serve to prevent the spread of the virus, given that many things may have happened between the time the sample is taken and the results are received.

The community feels safe when arriving travelers are tested, but that is a false sense of security, emphasized Ugarte, saying that requiring tests can lead to “ineffective” use of resources.

The PAHO document on this issue, dated October 9, says that international travel should not be allowed by people whose movements are restricted in their own community, and asks not to consider tourists as suspected cases of covid-19 .

International travelers should not be considered or handled as contacts for COVID-19 cases and they should not be required to quarantine in the destination country, he says.

In addition, it says that "it is not justified" to take the body temperature of travelers, ask them to fill out forms or sign statements about possible symptoms, or require tests for covid-19.

It is not recommended to carry out or recommend tests for COVID-19 to passengers planning or taking an international trip as a tool to mitigate the risk of international spread, says the document, available on the PAHO website.

However, PAHO requires that the crew and passengers wear a mask throughout the flight, as well as at the points of entry and comply with hygiene and physical distance measures.

Ugarte said that PAHO is in close contact with various governments in the region in order to adjust the requirements related to tourism when reopening their economies.

Relying on tests to stimulate tourism presents important and substantial limitations in biological, epidemiological, logistical and also legal aspects, said the official.

According to the International Health Regulations (IHR), the legally binding agreement signed by the more than 190 member countries of the WHO, proof of vaccination against yellow fever is the only health document that may be required from travelers.

Therefore, requesting in international transit a proof of the results of a laboratory analysis would contravene the provisions of the IHR, said PAHO.

Furthermore, imposing on the country of origin the burden of performing laboratory tests could be considered an interference with the sovereignty of the country in terms of its response to the pandemic and prioritizing the use of its laboratory resources, Ugarte added.

Among the operational challenges of requiring a diagnostic test for travelers, PAHO highlighted the eventual crowding of people to take samples at points of entry, the verification of test results when they are issued in different jurisdictions, and the implications financial for unforeseen expenses and medical costs.

These circumstances are cause for concern in view of the expected proportion of false positive results in travelers, the PAHO document warned.

He also noted that possible serial tests for international travelers could divert diagnostic aids and other laboratory supplies needed in priority groups.