Costa Rica, despite being a country with a small population, has taken sanitary measures in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization, in a much more responsible manner than many larger and more powerful countries.
The first case of COVID-19 in Costa Rica was on March 6th, and the government was already issuing orders for companies to shift their personnel to work from home. Additionally, both the national borders and all schools were closed before reaching the 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19. And soon after, businesses that were considered not essential to the population were ordered closed.
By contrast, in New York City, schools closed only when the cases exceeded 1,000 positive cases for COVID-19. As for non-essential businesses in this city, these closed after more than 10,000 cases of Coronavirus infection were registered.
As for hospital beds in New York, it has approximately 23 thousand beds, which is equivalent to 2.7 beds per thousand people. This is more than double what Costa Rica has, which is 1.1 beds per thousand inhabitants. This data undoubtedly is what led the Costa Rican government to take serious measures on time against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some facts of interest on COViD-19 in Costa Rica
An important fact to know is that Costa Rica only has 140 ICU beds available, which means that a rise in the epidemiological curve would bring major problems for the country. That is why the country recently took even stricter measures, such as restrictions on vehicular traffic, in order to reduce the flow of people on the street.
The most important fact is that Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the world that has been successful in slowing down the curve of COVID-19 infections. And the key to this was the rapid action of the government to put in place sanitary measures for the health care of all its inhabitants.
Other measures adopted by Costa Rica were the ones that young people continue their studies in a remote manner, based on technological platforms. All this to prevent them from having to leave their homes. And although the curfew is not in the constitution, Costa Ricans have fully complied with voluntary confinement and have taken refuge in their homes
As for the labor force, the Costa Rican government recently announced that it would grant economic aid bonds to workers who, because of this confinement have been unable to work. This registration is being carried out through a digital platform, so that nobody has to leave their home for the process, thus enhancing social distancing as much as possible. It is worth mentioning that this temporary financial aid is for three months and will be provided to people affected by the COVID-19 health emergency.
“Tico” ingenuity in times of Pandemic
Although Costa Rica does not have the resources to build a hospital in 10 days like China, it is currently conducting trials to build inexpensive respirators to help care for people who might need them in hospitals. As for coronavirus tests, in our country, they are totally free, covered by the national universal health system.
However, Costa Rica faces a harsh reality and that is that being a country that is not rich in mineral resources, one of its main sources of income is tourism, which today is totally on halt, affecting many citizens whose income depends directly on this sector.
We have no idea when this pandemic ends. What we are sure of is that, when all this situation passes, Costa Rica will wait for your visit with open arms, with the smile and kindness of our people for the best welcome possible.
