After more than two years of the corona pandemic, tourists will soon be able to travel to Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean again. The borders of the volcanic island, popular with travelers, will reopen to foreign visitors from August 1, the Chilean government announced Friday (local time). Easter Island, 3500 kilometers west of the Chilean coast, is known for its monumental statues, the so-called Moai.
The borders to the remote island were closed in March 2020 after the first confirmed corona cases emerged in Chile. Until then, tourism was the main source of income for the island with its approximately 10,000 inhabitants. Only isolated cases of corona infection have been registered on Easter Island itself in the past two years.
Island largely spared
According to local authorities, there were no deaths from Covid-19 on the island and no one needed to be hospitalized. The clinic in the capital Hanga Roa does not have an intensive care unit, but it does have ventilators. Emergency flights from Easter Island to the mainland take about five and a half hours.
In October, the indigenous people of Easter Island voted in a non-binding referendum to reopen the island. At the time, 67 percent of voters voted against the opening move.
vaccination rate of 73 percent
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 3.6 million cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded nationwide in Chile since the start of the pandemic and more than 57,000 people have died in connection with Covid-19. The vaccination rate on Easter Island is around 73 percent.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
