CRC Daily: Costa Rica not planning more entry restrictions

Costa Rica will apparently keep its borders open to tourists.

Costa Rica isn’t planning more entry restrictions, according to the Health Ministry.

Earlier during the coronavirus pandemic, Costa Rica closed its borders to arriving tourists and later required a negative PCR test from visitors. Don’t expect either of those measures to return, says Health Minister Daniel Salas, even as hospitalizations rise.

Salas shot down the possibility of Costa Rica restricting travel from the United Kingdom, where a more-infectious coronavirus strain has been identified.

“It’s like at the beginning if we said that by closing borders, the virus would not arrive in Costa Rica: That is not effective,” Salas said, noting the new strain is already spreading and that many countries that closed borders to prevent Covid-19 “didn’t succeed.”

Similarly, Costa Rica won’t re-implement its negative PCR test requirement for tourists.

“Because of the long period of incubation, and the persistence of positive PCR tests, the World Health Organization has said it doesn’t make sense,” Salas said of the test requirement.

The Health Minister also explained Costa Rica’s tenuous economic situation will prevent more mass closures.

“We have to keep trying to minimize deaths, and that can only be with a joint effort between protools, measures, and behavior from the population,” he said.

Costa Rica will instead continue enforcing mask and distancing protocols, identifying symptomatic people and issuing isolation orders when appropriate.

Want to visit? Click here to review Costa Rica’s entry requirements.

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