Sao Paulo to Require Vaccine for Entry Into Restaurants, Events

(Bloomberg) -- The most populous city in Latin America will begin requiring residents to have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in order to enter restaurants, bars and public events.

Sao Paulo’s new “vaccine passport” rule announced by Mayor Ricardo Nunes mandates that some businesses must ensure the vaccination status of each patron in order to avoid fines, which Nunes said “won’t be cheap,” in a press conference Monday. 

Vaccination status can be proved by showing either the card given when the dose is administered or a QR code created via a web app that is expected to be launched Friday, the mayor said.

The effective date of the new rule has not yet been disclosed. 

Over 12 million people live in Sao Paulo, and all adult age groups have been opened up to shots in the city; 12-year-olds are the latest age bracket permitted to receive a dose. But many residents -- 211,000, Nunes said -- have only received the first shot due to long wait times between doses. 

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