Brasilia (Brazil).April 18: The Brazilian government is lifting the public health emergency that was announced in the country at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, about two years ago, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga informed.
"Today, with the strengthening of the SUS, the largest vaccination campaign in our history, and with the improvement of the epidemiological scenario, we are able to announce the end of the Public Health Emergency of National Importance - ESPIN," Queiroga announced on Twitter.
"We have the conditions to announce today the end of the health emergency," Queiroga said on television and added that the announcement will be formalised by a decree "in the next few days".
"This, however, does not mean the end of Covid-19. We will continue to live with the virus," he said.
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Brazil also eased restrictions for international visitors earlier this month, removing a 14-day quarantine for vaccinated foreign visitors.
Earlier, Brazil also removed the requirement of presenting a negative Covid-19 test for fully vaccinated travellers arriving by plane. Currently, only unvaccinated travellers are required to present a negative test while fully vaccinated Brazilian and foreign travellers can enter without one.
In the last 24 hours, Brazil recorded 19 Covid-related deaths, taking its total Covid-19 death toll to 662,011. Brazil is second in terms of coronavirus-related fatalities (with the US being at first) and third in terms of the total number of cases recorded (surpassed only by the US and India).
Brazil declared a state of emergency to fight Covid-19 infection in March 2020.
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-PTC News