The President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, and the first lady, Claudia Dobles, tested negative for COVID-19 to which they were subjected after having indirect contact with an infected person, the Presidential House reported this past Saturday.
Alvarado and Dobles were in preventive isolation and teleworking since last Wednesday, and will return to their face-to-face tasks after testing negative in the PCR tests that were carried out on Friday, the official information details.
The Minister of Communication, Agustín Castro, declared that “the tests carried out on the President and the first lady are an additional precaution, after having teleworked during this past week.”
Active remote agenda
The Presidential House indicated that during the days of remote work, President Alvarado carried out various activities, such as the virtual presentation of the project “Reform of the Law for the Protection of Citizens from Excess Requirements and Administrative Procedures” or his participation in the activities to commemorate the National and International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. He also attended the session of the Emergency Operations Center, where the control of the Pandemic is coordinated.
After almost 9 months after the arrival of the Coronavirus in Costa Rica, only one case of COVID-19 has transpired in a senior government official: the Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, Victoria Hernández. According to official data, until Friday, November 27th, Costa Rica registered 137,093 cases of COVID-19, of which 1,690 patients have died.
Health authorities have warned that in recent weeks this country of 5 million inhabitants is on a plateau with an average of around 1,100 new cases daily and that there has not been a significant reduction, so it is possible that a new surge is about to occur.
The Government has insisted on the population to apply preventive measures and health protocols and to avoid breaking family bubbles during the month of December, which is traditionally a time of meetings with friends and family. Costa Rica currently keeps practically all economic activities open but under sanitary and distancing protocols.
