"On Monday, Anvisa informed its border posts, especially at airports, of the need to immediately comply with the decision of the Federal Supreme Court, which ordered the requirement for vaccination certificates for travellers entering the country", Anvisa said in a statement.
The measures entered into force immediately.
Anvisa has also begun to assess the cases of the passengers who were en route at the time of the change in the rules.
On Saturday, Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Luis Roberto Barroso ruled that the authorities must demand proof of COVID-19 vaccination from foreign visitors seeking to enter the country to prevent the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus strain. The plenary session of the court on this issue is scheduled for 15-16 December.
A nurse attends to a COVID-19 patient who has been intubated in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
© REUTERS / AMANDA PEROBELLI
Last week, the Brazilian government headed by President Jair Bolsonaro approved new COVID-19 rules for international travellers. In addition to a negative PCR test result, the government required all unvaccinated travellers to undergo a five-day quarantine. The measures were adopted despite Anvisa's recommendation to make COVID-19 vaccination certificates a necessary condition of entry.
Brazil is one of the world's hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of registered COVID-19 cases in the country for the entire period of the pandemic is estimated to be 22.18 million with 616,744 deaths. The daily number of cases is currently decreasing, with 3,355 new infections reported over the past 24 hours.