Coronavirus in Costa Rica

By Steve Linder of Pacific Lots and Homes of Costa Rica

Read & Post Comments

Nov 24, 2020 Update

We Asked: What is currently happening with regard to the Coronavirus outbreak in your area? Please provide as much detail as possible. He replied...

Costa Rica is again open for tourism. While things open up, restrictions still exist and the situation is dynamic and can change suddenly. I've tried to give you a framework to judge the situation and to help make your travel decisions wisely. We are reopening our tours with our 4 day guest house tours back in operation but we are limiting our tours to a maximum of 4 people. We are taking steps to ensure we are operating safely but do acknowledge that Covid19 has not gone away and travelers visit at their own risk. We do require that masks are worn while in our vehicles and that social distancing is practiced at all times. We want to ensure the safely of our guests as well as our staff and contractors.

History- Costa Rica was quick to shut down entry to the country as the outbreak of Covid19 spread across the globe. Early cases of Covid19 were brought by travelers to/from the US as well as travelers from the other countries. In February a Costa Rican doctor arrived from Panama and returned to his work in a hospital in Alajuela. He later tested positive and contract tracing showed 25 other people were infected from contact with him. The first death in Costa Rica was on March an 87 year old male who'd been treated by the doctor mentioned above. The first confirmed case was on March 06 after a woman from New York tested positive. She and her husband had arrived into Costa Rica on March 1st. They were quarantined but another case was linked to them a few days later. As of November 1st, Costa Rica has had 110,000 cases of confirmed Covid19, 66,719 recovered cases and 1,385 deaths, bringing Costa Rica into the top 20 countries with the highest infection rate per capita.

Actions Taken - Costa Rica acted quickly, declaring a national state of emergency on March 16 and closing all public schools. They shut down borders to all but nationals and permanent residents on March 18, including air, ground and sea. If a Costa Rican national or permanent resident chose to leave Costa Rica at this time, they would not be permitted to return. Furthermore those with permanent residence status would lose their residence status if they chose to leave Costa Rica after the lock down. This was enacted "to keep Nicaraguans from returning to their country for Easter holidays" but affected all with permanent residency. Nationals and permanent residents had a small window to return to Costa Rica if they were outside Costa Rica when the lock down was implemented.

Shutting Down - As Costa Rica shut down, various curfews on driving, beach closures, casinos, bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants, public and national parks all were completely closed or regulated. The government enacted a safety net program with payments to some employees via the national government though not much public assistance was rolled out. They also empowered the public force (police) to issue compliance, shut down and levy fines on individuals, businesses and drivers that did not comply to national mandates. A variety of color coded safely levels were devised to declare the required curfews and compliance regulations by canton/state.

Current Situation - Costa Rica has now opened its borders to all US states including Washington DC as well as many other countries. They began opening to other countries (non US) in early September. By Early October, they started opening to US states based on the number of cases per 100,000 in those states. As the border opened, the government initially required all entering to have passed a Covid19 test within 3 days of arrival to Costa Rica, a requirement which has been recently dropped.

Travel Requirements for Foreigners – As of November 1 all travelers to Costa Rica must be covered by a Covid19 health/medical insurance policy providing for example two weeks of hotel cost coverage in the event of quarantine, repatriation expenses, medical insurance in the event of contracting Covid19 while in Costa Rica, etc. Two national companies in Costa Rica offer this insurance online including the INS (Institute Nacional de Seguros) with application found at https://cotiza.ins-cr.com/frmDatosIncluir.aspx?P=431 and Sagicor, application found at https://tiendasagicor.com/en/ You can provide proof of this medical Covid19 insurance from a foreign policy as well. For the best deal I've found so far on travel insurance that complies with the Costa Rican mandate, see https://www.trawickinternational.com/travel-insurance-plans/costa-rica-required-travel-insurance

Health Pass - You also have to secure a health pass online that can be found at https://salud.go.cr/ We advise people to complete the application process for this pass a few days before your arrival into Costa Rica since it does require confirmation of your cell number and email address for example.

Airline Updates - Here is a current (November 1st) updated list of US airlines currently offering flights to Costa Rica as well as their schedules to resume flights to Costa Rica. Southwest Airlines for example will not resume flights to Costa Rica until 2021 while American had resumed flights as of mid September 2020 from both Miami and Dallas. Delta resumes flights from Atlanta as of November 2, 2020 and from LA on November 17. Jet Blue resumes operations from Fort Lauderdale on November 1, Orlando on November 4 and New York on November 20. Alaska Air resumes flights from LA on November 19. Spirit Airlines resumed flights from Fort Lauderdale in mid September. United has already resumed service from Houston and Newark, will resume from Chicago on November 7, 2020 and from Denver, Washington and LA on November 19th, 2020. And for you Canadian readers, Air Canada resumes direct flights from Toronto on November 1. A number of international carriers have also resumed or will shortly resume flights including Copa, Iberia, Air France, British Air, Avianca, KLM, Lufthansa and Volaris. Check with your airline for additional information about their updated flight schedules. Remember that your flight must originate from an authorized country to insure entry into Costa Rica.

The CDC has posted a level 3 threat on travel to Costa Rica due to Covid19 concerns.

The US Department of State has posted a level 3 warning in regards to visiting Costa Rica, which is stated as "Reconsider Travel".

How People are Coping

We Asked: How are people handling the situation in your area? He replied...

Everyone is being pretty diligent about masking and hand washing until you get into total suburban areas.

Government Response

We Asked: Describe how the government of the country about which you are reporting is handling this situation. He replied...

The Government has enforced curfews, closures, airport shut downs, health screenings and require insurance to cover your risk of Covid

Travel Restrictions and Related COVID-19 Testing

We Asked: Are non-citizens allowed to travel to your country? Describe travel restrictions, COVID-19 testing requirements and any details about traveling into your country. He replied...

see above, there are restrictions and insurance requirements.

Health Insurance Requirements

We Asked: Is health insurance required when traveling into the country? Is it required when applying for residency? Is this a new requirement since COVID-19? Describe the health insurance requirement. He replied...

there are two companies in Costa Rica offering this insurance, INS and Sagicor. You can find policies outside of Costa Rica that meet the requirements but most do not.

COVID-19 Testing

We Asked: How easy or difficult is it to get a COVID-19 test locally? Where can you get tested? Do you need to have symptoms or a prescription from a doctor? Describe the process. He replied...

The private hospitals are administering tests: Clinica Biblica and Cima... Some smaller health centers are too.

Public Healthcare & Public Hospitals

We Asked: Are you enrolled in the public healthcare system where you live? Do you feel that the public hospitals are handling or preparing for the Coronavirus outbreak effectively? He replied...

I am not enrolled in the public system so can't answer this question.

Private Health Insurance & Private Hospitals

We Asked: Do you have private health insurance? If you have private insurance, does this give you access to private hospitals? Are private hospitals or clinics better prepared, less prepared, or the same? Please explain. He replied...

N/A

Hospital of Choice for Coronavirus Treatment

We Asked: Would you choose a public or private hospital if you needed treatment for Coronavirus? Why? If there is a specific hospital that you would go to in the event of severe illness? Which hospital and why? He replied...

Private

Residency & Visa

We Asked: Are new residency applications being processed? Have there been any changes or extensions made in terms of residency and other visa renewals? He replied...

Yes

Future Outlook

We Asked: Are you considering returning to your home country due to the Coronavirus? Would this be a temporary move or a permanent repatriation? Please explain. He replied...

Costa Rica is not great as far as cases go but the government has done more than the US so far to control the outbreak.