Costa Rica Coronavirus Updates from TICO TIMES online English newspaper:
- Costa Rica plans to invest $880 million to face coronavirus impact — 09 April 2020
- News briefs: Costa Rica receives donation of hydroxychloroquine — 09 April 2020
- Costa Rica registers third death due to coronavirus — 08 April 2020
- Costa Rica surpasses 500 known coronavirus cases — 08 April 2020
- Costa Rica’s national parks will remain closed until May — 08 April 2020
- U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica limits services due to COVID-19 crisis — 07 April 2020
- Finding the latest Costa Rica flight information — 07 April 2020
AND
The following opinion article was copied from the Live in Costa Rica Blog: (Stats not as up-to-date as Tico Times articles above, but expresses much of my sentiment.)
Day by day, I am thankful for living in an underdeveloped country like Costa Rica.
- Where after one week since the outbreak of the first case of coronavirus already the schools mechanical engineering and physics at the University of Costa Rica have prototypes of ventilators they produced;
- where the Clodorito Picado Institute, thanks to many years of development and production of antidotes for venomous snake bites, is now conducting experimental trials with plasma from patients who have already recovered;
- where the National Institute of Apprenticeships INA (a type of trade school) is using its facilities to make robes, sheets, towels, and other hospital supplies;
- where in a matter of days one hospital has been retrofitted with cutting edge technology in order to increase the number of hospital beds;
- where a Costa Rican woman, living in Germany, invented an APP to make paperwork easier, so that senior citizens can get help from the comfort of their homes;
- where the Costa Rican government (CCSS) chartered a plane to bring medical supplies all the way from China.
- where only two patients have died from this epidemic in the whole country;
- where nobody is denied medical care, even foreigners and tourists;
- where supermarkets make their products available for the most needy like senior citizens with special schedules;
- where health care workers, and law enforcement have sacrificed their vacations to help; and where our farmers work incessantly to fill the shelves of our grocery stories and cupboards demonstrating that indeed we are self-sufficient.
We produce milk, rice, meat, vegetables, beans, fruit, cereal and everything else we need. Basic services are accessible to everyone.
We even send medicine to the most needy by mail. Even without an army, our police force maintains order. Even in the most remote corners of our country small medical clinics (EBAIS) and schools can be found to serve the population.
Today a number of infected people in the US, Spain, Italy, for example, cannot afford to purchase a test to see if they test positive for coronavirus.
Today I ask myself , Really, how UNDERDEVELOPED is our country versus those who say they are developed? Today I feel proud of my country and its people.. ? ?? ~Christopher Howard
Retired in Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
Well, at least one difference is you have leadership that understands the role of the government and believes that it exists to take care of the people in the country. Sadly, we are missing that on the federal level. In Tennessee there have been some innovative things. I guess the TCATs started turning out face shields using their 3-D printers. Prisoners started making PPE from materials provided by Lowes. So there are small stories of people/groups doing the right thing. The biggest problem is the lack of federal leadership when we needed it in January and February.
Yeah Robbie, I just keep shaking my head in disbelief at the current White House and his blind support by Republicans. Unbelievable! Like I said – Glad I live in Costa Rica now!
But here in the states, gun shops are having a wonderful sales surge. Aren’t we just so proud? ?. Missing Costa Rica more every day.
Steve, the future of the United States is in serious danger now from something worse than coronavirus – stupidity-virus.
You are so on point ! —- I struggle with the in your face
dishonesty, stupidity, ignorance , racism and outright meanness of supporters of the current administration. Much of it comes from people I thought I respected. I am very concerned that the last hope for the “light on the hill” is in danger of being extinguished.
But as Robbie says in her comment above, there are always some exceptions and exceptional individuals in America who will come through with a lot of good on a local basis and that is what holds the USA together rather than any political party or philosophy. Cheers for the individual heroes!