(Santiago de Chile) Easter Island, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, will reopen to tourism in February after two years of suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, local authorities announced on Friday.
“The situation has changed, with a vaccination program which makes it possible to face the pandemic with greater protection and the establishment of a culture of barrier gestures among the population”, estimated in a statement the local authorities to justify the imminent opening of the island.
Located 3,700 km west of the Chilean coast and famous for its imposing stone statues, Easter Island has for decades derived most of its income from the tourism industry.
Air links will resume in February to the island where the inhabitants have not seen a single tourist since March 2020 and the imposition of the state of emergency in Chile to fight against the coronavirus.
The country has recorded 1.7 million cases, including 38,000 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. More than 90% of the population over the age of six, eligible for vaccination, has already received two doses.
To enter the island, visitors will need to have a vaccination certificate and a negative PCR test of less than 48 hours.
The island has recorded eight cases of COVID-19, without any hospitalization or death, since the start of the pandemic, and no cases since September 2020, according to local authorities.
At the end of October, the inhabitants voted 67% against the reopening of the island to tourists during a non-binding consultation.
The island does not have an intensive care unit, only ventilators. An emergency flight between the island and the mainland takes approximately five hours.