Colombian Government Announces Biosafety Protocols For Arriving International Travelers

Colombia’s investment promotion agency Procolombia, a unit of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Tourism clarified last night the biosafety protocols that international visitors and returning Colombians must follow as international airspace reopens for passengers this weekend.

Travelers arriving to Colombia must present a negative result of a PCR test for Covid-19 taken no longer than 96 hours before the stipulated time of travel and whoever has symptoms associated with Covid-19 will not be allowed to get on board.

In order to make easier the immigration process, passengers must fill the online form CheckMig www.migracioncolombia.gov.co between 1 and 24 hours prior to flight departure and should wear a face mask in airplanes and airports. Within Colombian air terminals, the minimum distance of 2 meters must be respected; on the arrival of a flight, the use of conveyor belts will be maximized; and the access to the airport terminal must be done 3 hours before the international flight.

Some measures on airplanes are: on short flights, toilets should not be used; if the flight is less than two hours, the cabin crew will not perform service on board; on medium and long flights (more than 2 hours) it is recommended to have available several face masks and replace them throughout the flight; and passengers must remain in their assigned seat at all times.

“This is a key step for the country to move towards the reactivation of the tourism industry in a safe, regulated and coordinated way. The recovery of international air connectivity was one of the strategic actions that we established in ProColombia. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked with airlines to coordinate their return and develop promotional plans to boost their sales. With strict protocols that guarantee the safety of travelers, we hope that nearby countries will visit our destinations with confidence and have the best experiences,” stated Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

The Colombian Government announced the reopening of the international air connectivity with the inauguration of the first two flights on September 19th from Cartagena with the arrival of Spirit Air coming from Fort Lauderdale, and the departure of the Colombian airline Viva Air to Miami. In addition, as of September 21st, flights will be restored from Mexico and the Dominican Republic among other countries.

The first airports open to international passenger flights are CTG: Rafael Núñez in Cartagena, CLO: Alfonso Bonilla Aragón in Cali, MDE: José María Córdova in Rionegro (which serves Medellín) and BOG: El Dorado in Bogotá.

Photo courtesy Spirit Air; graphic courtesy Viva Air