Guedes endorses “immunity passport” for healthy workers

Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said he supports an “immunity passport” for workers who tested negative for Covid-19 to go back to work. “You tested negative? You can go out,” Mr. Guedes said during a videoconference with retail businessmen. “People are being tested weekly. The ones who are safe continue to work normally.” 

The idea, according to Mr. Guedes, is inspired by the British model, where healthy workers would be allegedly allowed to go back to work. In reality, the initiative, under consideration in the UK and Germany, relates to people who have already contracted Covid-19 and who can prove they have developed antibodies. Mr. Guedes’s proposal would include weekly to 15-day testing, and isolation only for workers at higher risk, as well as those infected. 

But reporters Brenno Grillo and Lucas Berti have shown that Brazil has struggled to scale Covid-19 testing — which may lead to a massive underreporting of infections.