The island only accepts people who have previously been infected with COVID-19.

Fernando de Noronha, home to Baia do Sancho beach, which was voted the world's most beautiful beach this year by Trip Advisor, will reopen to tourists next week, according to officials in the southeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco. However, new regulations stipulate that only those who have previously contracted COVID-19 will be allowed to visit the popular tourist archipelago.

"To be allowed to visit the archipelago, tourists need to present a certificate showing a positive PCR test result for COVID-19 from at least 20 days prior, or a serological test result showing the presence of COVID-19 antibodies," Guilherme Rocha, the archipelago's administrator, said at a press conference on August 27. Rocha did not elaborate on why Brazil is only accepting tourists who have previously been infected with COVID-19 to the islands.

Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago of 21 volcanic islands, has been closed to tourists since mid-March due to the pandemic. As of July 31st, the archipelago reopened only to local residents and researchers. Fernando de Noronha is a national park and one of Brazil's most popular tourist destinations. Last year, the archipelago welcomed 106,000 visitors, 90% of whom were Brazilian. The national park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Brazil, the world's second-largest epicenter of the pandemic, has recorded more than 3.8 million infections and nearly 120,000 deaths from Covid-19 since the outbreak began. On August 21, Mike Ryan, director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency health program, stated that weekly infection numbers in Brazil have stabilized and the rate of spread is slowing.

Huong Thao