Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - November 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During November, visits to this blog were received from the following 11 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

It seems that a switch was thrown on November 8 - signaling movement from the green season to the dry season. There was at least some rain every day during the first 7 days of the month. In the remaining 23 days, rain occurred on only 6 days with significant rain on only 1 day. The total amount of rainfall in November was the lowest it has been during that month since we moved to Hacienda El Paseo in the Central Valley - much lower than last year when the total was 19.75 inches (502 mm). Dry season trade winds occurred on several days.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on November 7, 2021:

Since my last post, the death rates in Canada and the United States have each dropped (by 0.2 percentage points). Conversely, that in Costa Rica has risen by 0.02 percentage points.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - October 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During October, visits to this blog were received from the following 16 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

The total rainfall in October was marginally lower than that in October 2018 and 2019, and roughly only half of that in October 2020.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on October 10, 2021:

Since my last post, the death rates in Costa Rica and the United States have risen (by 0.06 and 0.2 percentage points respectively). Conversely, that in Canada has dropped by 0.02 percentage points.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more comprehensive and up-to-date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the La Nacion newspaper is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you will need a web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) which is set to translate to your language of choice from Spanish.

 

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - September 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During September, visits to this blog were received from the following 12 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

The level of interest in my video "Landing at Juan Santamaría Airport, Costa Rica" has spiked in the last few months. It was first posted to YouTube and to my blog on August 26, 2017. Between July 2019 and February 2021 the number of views has risen from over 4400 views to over 6400 views - or roughly 95 views per month. Since February 2021 until now the number of views has reason to over 8000 views - or roughly 200 views per month.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on August 28, 2021:

Since my last post, the death rates in Canada and the United States have dropped by marginal amounts (0.10 and 0.04 percentage points respectively). That in Costa Rica is unchanged. 

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more comprehensive and up-to-date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the La Nacion newspaper is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you will need a web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) which is set to translate to your language of choice from Spanish.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - June 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During June, visits to this blog were received from the following 5 countries and the Cayman Islands:

This compares with 14 countries in June 2019 and 21 countries in June 2020.

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

The total rainfall was less than that in June 2020 (12.56 in. / 319 mm) but more than that in June 2019 (5.52 in. / 140 mm). High and low temperatures were a bit cooler.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates the information which appeared in my blog entry posted on June 9:

The death rate in Costa Rica has dropped by a marginal amount (0.01 percentage points). Conversely, the death rates in the U.S. and Canada have risen by the same marginal amount. 

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more comprehensive and up-to-date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the La Nacion newspaper is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you will need a web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) which is set to translate to your language of choice from Spanish.

(Click on images to enlarge).

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!