Copa América players’ vaccination will not be mandatory – Brazil’s health minister

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga on Monday said that vaccination of players taking part in the Copa América will not be mandatory, noting that the competition matches will occur without the presence of public and in a “controlled sanitary environment.”

“The vaccine issue is not mandatory. Whoever is vaccinated, the better, but there won’t be a greater effort to vaccinate these athletes now, because the vaccine could cause some kind of reaction and this could somehow compromise the competitive pace of players, “he said.

After Colombia and Argentina withdrew from hosting the competition, Brazil has been criticized for offering to hold the event at a time when the country is registering high rates of infection and death from Covid-19.

In a press conference to detail the protocols to hold the competition, the Health Minister pointed out that other soccer championships have been held in the country, such as the Brazilian Championship, the Libertadores Cup, and the World Cup Qualifiers, with no requirement for the immunization of athletes.

For Queiroga, there is no “complete proof” and “evidence” that there could be a rise in infections as a result of the competition. “There is no reason to ban the Copa America in Brazil, a health reason,” he stressed.

The Minister said that health control measures will be intensified, such as RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 every two days.

Queiroga also pointed out that all athletes have health insurance so that should there be a need for hospitalization because of Covid or any other health issue, athletes will be assisted by the private care network, with no impact on the SUS (National Health System).