Coronavirus, Gallo Pinto and Costa Rica

We are now under new driving restrictions, curfew hours and so on - a relaxation of the stricter requirements imposed during Semana Santa (Easter Week). This Tico Times article explains the latest requirements to help the country deal with COVID-19.

Another Tico Times article from today has the current information on the coronavirus stats in this country. 

We cannot drive on Fridays and Sundays but this is no real hardship (our licence plates end in 9). We can attend dental and doctor appointments, go to drug stores, the hospital/clinics and grocery stores. Yesterday I had a dental appointment in the late afternoon. Lance was waiting for me in our car - he brings a book to read. If the appointment is going to be a long one, he drops me off and I take a taxi home. As we pulled away from the curb after my appointment, we realized we had a flat front tire. Curses.

I went off to the parada de taxi (taxi stand) not far from us to see if one of the drivers would change the tire for us. They do this all the time. One driver agreed to help after he checked with his dispatcher. Meanwhile, Lance was doing just fine as two young men had already volunteered to change the tire. This is Costa Rica - somebody is always ready with a helping hand. I’ve had a flat tire when on my own and experienced the same thing.

They observed that the spare was a bit soft and needed air and to drive to a gas station right away to get that done. One of them advised us to buy a stronger jack. We were ready to go in ten minutes! Nobody would take any payment and when we persisted, were told to give it to the taxi driver as he may have missed a fare helping us out.

We decided to buy two new tires and went to our local tire shop today. We had bought two tires from them a year and a half ago and the two that needed replacing came with the car when we bought it. We considered this an essential trip. The shop was practicing the recommended precautions - hand gel, face coverings, keep your distance. They had fresh, strong, hot coffee too!

Back home, I decided to make gallo pinto - Costa Rica’s famed rice and beans - a national dish. It is called gallo pinto (spotted rooster) because the black beans and white rice resemble the speckled appearance of a rooster. I turned to my trusty Costa Rican cookbook:

I see that I bought it in August, 2011 - a couple of months after we moved here.

Here’s part of  the recipe:

I used ghee (clarified butter) and achiote when sautéing the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. I bought the achiote from a vendor at our Grecia feria (farmers’ market) and the ghee is a Costa Rican product.

I cooked the rice in our rice cooker. For the black beans, I cheated a bit and bought canned:

The brand name Goya is an interesting one. I see their products here in Costa Rica and have no hesitation in purchasing them.

Here is my final version of gallo pinto. I love cilantro so used lots of it. Lance was my taste tester and pronounced my pinto “very good”. That’s high praise because he is a fan of gallo and rates every restaurant that serves it. So now we have a delicious addition to our morning eggs.

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!