Covid-19 - Coronavirus in Costa Rica

From the first case confirmed on March 6, 2020, the La Nación newspaper provides a detailed graphic account of the evolution of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Costa Rica. It is updated daily. If you want to read it in English, the Google Chrome browser works well for most but not all of the text.

This link is to the graphic account. Many pages of interesting info.

Should we panic and run back to Canada as a family member imagined we would want to do? Not likely!

Costa Rica acted quickly when the virus arrived. We are under Yellow Alert, which means the government can mobilize additional resources to prevent the spread of Covid-19. These are some of the actions the government has taken:

• Schools, beaches, bars, casinos, dance clubs, churches and parks are closed.
• Borders are closed to foreigners.
• Vehicle transit is restricted from 10pm to 5am. Fines are heavy if you ignore this.
• All businesses must close their doors at 8pm on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).
• Foreigners with residency cannot leave the country without losing their residency privileges if they do. No hardship for us - I can’t think of a better place to be during this crisis than in Costa Rica - sunshine, warm temperatures, tropical breezes.

How are we coping? Staying at home except for grocery runs. No visitors in the house. No restaurant meals or meeting up with friends. Avoiding the feria (farmers’ market). We have our gardener and housekeeper on paid leave through April. We’ll see how things stand in May. 

Many stores and banks have hours in the mornings for seniors only shopping. The grocery store we were at yesterday had a guard and an employee at the entrance, controlling when a person could go in - which was when another person came out. Checkout staff were wearing plastic face guards and gloves. One store had plastic barriers in front of the cashiers. Carts were being wiped down after use. Lots of gel stations, paper towels and spray bottles of disinfectant available. I noticed customers were keeping a respectful distance from each other.

There is no lack of fruit, vegetables and goods available in the shops. Nobody seems to be hoarding and some stores have posted notices about how many items one can purchase at one time. Many restaurants are offering takeout and delivery only. It’s one way for them to try and survive in the meantime and we are encouraged to buy local.

On the downside, this is a country that depends to a large part on tourism and it has been hit hard. Here is an article addressing this issue.

I receive daily updates on Facebook from the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (medical system) on the virus, plus many reminders to wash those hands! (¡lava esas manos!)

We are impressed with how this small country is handling the coronavirus threat.

Remember - stay one tapir away from each other!