The Ministry of Health Issues a Statement on Monitoring the Arrival of Travellers

Yesterday evening, Monday in Nouakchott, the Ministry of Health issued a statement on the new health directives to monitor the arrival of travelers related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The statement stated:
“Due to the active outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, especially the mutated strains in the country, new health procedures have been established for travel towards Mauritania.
These measures aim to: Reducing the risk of mutated strains of Covid-19 entering our country and anticipating its spread.
Coinciding with the return of international travel and tourism.
The Mauritanian government decided to update the health measures taken at the level of entry points into the country.
The measures taken in this regard are constantly evolving according to the national and international epidemiological situation. These measures are as follows:
At the level of land, sea and air entry points, all travellers must strictly adhere to the following procedures:
– Wear masks.
-Wash hands or sanitize them with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
-Respecting the physical distance of 1.5 meters.
– Subject to contactless body temperature taking (quality thermal camera, radiant calorimeter)
– Bring a certificate stating that the person is fully vaccinated with one of the vaccines licensed by the World Health Organization, such as: AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Pfizer-Biontech, Johnson, Moderna, Sinovac.
Caution: For two-dose vaccines, vaccination is considered complete two weeks after taking the second dose.
– Persons who are not vaccinated or who have not completed their vaccination must bring the results of a negative RT-PCR DNA test for a period not exceeding 72 hours when travelling, and that this result must be edited by an accredited laboratory.
– In the event of significant clinical symptoms similar to Covid-19 on arrival (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, sneezing, general weakness) the traveller will be taken care of according to the national health protocol with a RT-PCR test.
In the case of RT-PCR positive travellers:
They are placed in quarantine with supervision for a period of 10 days in the predetermined places for this purpose by the health authorities. We recall that treatment and monitoring are provided by the Mauritanian Ministry of Health, free of charge.
RT-PCR examination of the subject is carried out on the tenth day before discharge from quarantine.
In the event that the results of the RT-PCR examination are negative, the traveller is advised to self-quarantine for a period of ten days, as a way to protect the surroundings from a possible infection with Covid-19.
– Foreign travellers who arrived without a RT-PCR DNA test first, who hold a vaccination certificate, are not allowed to enter the national territory, and their transport companies must take care of them and return them to where they came from.
A special case for bringing in the body of a Mauritanian citizen:
– Possession of a file for the transfer of the corpse (death certificate, authorization to return the corpse, issued by the consular authority specifying the list of the names of the escorts, etc.).
– Possession of a document from the medical institution in the country from which the body comes from, clarifying the status of Covid-19.
In order to take the necessary measures.
The bodies are transported in accordance with other international procedures in force in the field of air transport
Aircrew specific case:
Personnel and crew of aircraft who have arrived without a complete vaccination or RT-PCR test, and who intend to spend one or more nights for work or technical reasons, must fully adhere to quarantine in a hotel until the day of their departure.
These actions supersede and replace all previous actions.”