Source: General Directorate of Civil Aviation – Ecuador
The Emergency Operations Committee of the Galapagos Province approved on October 14 through Resolution COEP-064-GAL-14102020 the “Protocol for the Reopening of Flights to the Galapagos Islands in the framework of the Health Emergency due to COVID-19 Version 2.0 ”, In order to establish the guidelines for the process of entry and exit of passengers to and from the island region.
The document establishes the protocols for the entry and / or exit of passengers to the province of Galapagos according to their migratory category, defined in Article 39 of the Organic Law of the Special Regime of the Province of Galapagos (LOREG): permanent resident, temporary, tourist and passerby.
All passengers, with symptoms related to Covid-19, should not enter the Islands since they will be considered as a suspicious case and must be handled based on the established protocols. The investigation of symptoms and fever will be carried out at the embarkation airport in Ecuador.
In addition, it will no longer be necessary to submit a negative RT-PCR test to travel to Galapagos, for children and young people under or equal to 17 years of age, in the migratory categories of permanent residents, temporary residents, transients and tourists, whether nationals or foreigners. .
Obligatory Preventive Isolation (APO) is excepted for all migratory categories provided they have a negative result of the RT-PCR test for detection of COVID-19 of a maximum 96 hours of validity from the collection of the sample prior to entering the province of Galapagos .
In the case of foreign tourists who have certified laboratory results from their country of origin within the times established in this protocol at the time of entry to the islands, they may present that document as an enabling document.
For national tourists, RT-PCR tests should only be carried out in laboratories authorized by the Ministry of Public Health (MSP). In addition, they must have the safe conduct for organized groups issued by the Ministry of Tourism.
The expenses related to obtaining the requirements issued in this protocol to be able to travel must be covered by the visitors.
Permanent, temporary or transient residents will have the responsibility of complying with the mandatory requirements for the migratory qualification of permanent, temporary or transient resident in the Galapagos Islands, as well as having the negative result of an RT-PCR test for COVID detection -19, maximum 96 hours prior to the trip made in the laboratories authorized by the MSP, and submit the Epidemiological Surveillance Form issued by the Health Authority when arriving at the airports of the province of Galapagos.
The Protocol for the Reopening of Flights to the Insular Region also determines the institutional responsibilities of organizations such as the Ministry of Public Health, Tourism Operators, the Ministry of Tourism, the Governing Council of the Special Galapagos Regime, the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park , among other.