Coming back to Brasil

chefjim Active member

Member since 23 March 2020

chefjimActive member20 January 2021 19:18:26

Oi gente,

I would like some help on making a decision on returning to Brasil, where I have been going to now every year for over 20 years. I am nearly 80, but still able to walk around, and travel without the aid of others. Moreover, I truly miss...Churrasco, bom chimarrão, fandangos, tragos, e mulheres.

Yet, my children have told me that if I return to Brasil at this time, I am going to die! (I disagree, but, well, I'm an old man. What do I know?)

In looking for a way to fly back, I have noticed that I will need a negative Covid test both before leaving the USA, and then again before returning. The first one I can do, but, how do I get tested in Porto Alegre before flying back? Also, if my test in POA is negative, will I lose my airfare if I cannot fly? (I asked AA about this, and was told only "probably"!)

I miss my Brasilian friends, but do not want to jeopardize their health by returning now. I would appreciate some shared thoughts on this.

jwarren87 Member

Member since 18 November 2020

jwarren87Member20 January 2021 20:28:51

Oi amigo, I can relate and hear your desire to return to Brazil. Way to be and stay strong through living well and long! I give my regards and respect to you.

I too want to return to Brazil as well, I have many wonderful friends there but now is not the best time concerning the pandemic. I know Brazil just issued the order of vaccines, so that is promising. If I was in your shoes, give things some more time to settle down before making the trip over there. I'm telling myself the same thing right now as well to wait and give things more time. Re-evaluate things come spring time and re-consider going more towards later part of this year. In the meantime, we can facetime or zoom with our friends through the internet.

abthree Brazil Expert

Member since 28 December 2017

abthreeBrazil Expert20 January 2021 21:48:52

6345

Jim,

I admire your grit, and share your love of Brazil.

Covid is still raging here. RS is shown as "stable", but that's a relative thing. You might want to consider waiting until after you're vaccinated to come back.

Every day, Folha de S. Paulo publishes a useful map of how the disease is progressing, that lets you drill down by state. Tracking what's going on in RS might be useful for your planning:

https://arte.folha.uol.com.br/equilibri … no-brasil/

rraypo Serial expat

Member since 01 October 2020

rraypoSerial expat21 January 2021 18:57:03

775

abthree wrote:
Jim,

I admire your grit, and share your love of Brazil.

Covid is still raging here. RS is shown as "stable", but that's a relative thing. You might want to consider waiting until after you're vaccinated to come back.

Every day, Folha de S. Paulo publishes a useful map of how the disease is progressing, that lets you drill down by state. Tracking what's going on in RS might be useful for your planning:

https://arte.folha.uol.com.br/equilibri … no-brasil/

What I have found interesting is the Covid rate in Brasil does not seem to really be going down, despite how great everyone is in wearing masks, having sanitizer available everywhere, the heavy use of alcohol in spray bottles, wet, sanitizing floor mats to wipe street shoes on prior to entering many homes and buildings, every restaurant/bar I have been near cleans everything with both bleach and alcohol, constantly, stores, shopping malls, etc. all taking body temps prior to letting us enter, early closing times for bars, cinemas all being closed... and yet, the rate stays high. Unlike what I am seeing these past two days back in the USA, Brasilians are taking this much more seriously, and yet, the numbers are still high.

Inubia Serial expat

Member since 17 December 2020

InubiaSerial expat21 January 2021 22:44:47

293

The WHO has just confessed something that others have been saying for months ...high cycles for PCR testing has been giving many positive results for people who have no symptoms and have not been transmitting the disease to others either ...what you call your basic false positive....I don't know how it is in Brazil but in the USA, we typically have between 20,000 and 80,000 cases of confirmed influenza every winter-- they were sick enough to go to the hospital and get tested for it ...but this winter there have been less than 500 cases ....
Now that Trump has been removed from office, the testing is being relaxed and consequently the number of new cases is dropping.
There were other shenanigans going on with the death rate ... We are looking for that to start dropping now as well. The death rate already dropped substantially in Brazil, as doctors everywhere developed more successful strategies for dealing with the illness.