Chile transmitted to all signatory states as well as to the organizations involved, through the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat “COVID-19 Protocol for control and monitoring of passengers and cargo entry to Antarctica through Chile”.
This document seeks to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula area, and to protect professionals, researchers and logistics who carry out activities in Antarctica.
Punta Arenas (Chile) is the gateway city to Antarctica that most countries (between 19 and 23 depending on the season). For this reason and in the context of the pandemic, Punta Arenas is a very important place of sanitary control for Antarctic activity.
The protocol has been designed based on the documentation on epidemiological control prepared by the Chilean Ministry of Health.
The Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) will be the national technical coordinating agency of the “COVID-19 Protocol for the Control and Monitoring of Passengers and Cargo traffic between Punta Arenas and the Antarctic Peninsula”