This thread continues to be updated:
July 10/Mandatory Health Insurance Dropped for Vaccinated Tourists Starting August 1
Hallelujah! Starting August 1, vaccinated tourists no longer have to purchase the mandatory health insurance. Keep in mind, this means your entire trip must fall after the date of August 1, 2021. In other words, if you’re traveling July 31-August 15 for example, you still need to purchase insurance for the entire trip.
Your second dose of the vaccine must have been administered at least 14 days before you arrive in Costa Rica.
ALL VISITORS, no matter when you’re traveling, still need to fill out the Health Pass 72 hours before travel.
You must have had Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca. You must bring proof of said vaccination complete with your name, dates of vaccinations, formula and lot number as shown on your vaccination card.
May 9/Latest With the Pandemic/Record Amount of Cases
For the past several weeks, Costa Rica’s COVID situation has only gotten worse. They’re now experiencing their third wave with record amounts of cases. Friday, May 7th there were just short of 2,400 new cases, and over 1,100 people hospitalized with COVID. Beds in the ICU units are taken up and some people are having to wait for care. This is pretty much the worst case scenario turned reality.
For the last week (from May 3-9) all non-essential business have been closed throughout the Central Valley region. This includes San Jose, Cartago, Alajuela and Heredia. Exceptions include supermarkets, green and farmer’s markets, pharmacies, hospitals, butchers, bakeries, funeral homes and banks. There is also a driving restriction in place, but this does not affect taxis, buses or tourist rental cars. There has been no extension to these restrictions.
At this time there is no plan to close any borders.
December 6/Everyone in the World Allowed/Cases Hover at 1,000 Per Day
As of December 6, 2020, Costa Rica has opened their doors to all countries on the globe. However, Costa Rica’s coronavirus case numbers have remained about 1,000 per day. This number continues to be worrisome as one would think it would be going down by now.
Costa Rica has had over 1,770 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic and is at about 19 per 100,000 people. This puts Costa Rica at a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” status.
September 28/States Allowed/Coronavirus Update
It’s been about a month since I last updated, and the coronavirus cases have been pretty steady in Costa Rica, hovering around a thousand a day, and that seems like a lot to me. Today, however, there’s been a notable dip in confirmed cases at about 730.
There have been 860 deaths in Costa Rica due to coronavirus.
The list of States now allowed to enter Costa Rica are as follows: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, the State of Washington and Wyoming. Beginning October 1st, California and Ohio will be permitted.
Be advised, you still need to have a negative coronavirus test within 72-hours of touching down, along with approved insurance for your stay.
August 28/More States Allowed Admittance to Costa Rica in September
The list of states allowed into Costa Rica for September has been expanded. In addition to NY, NJ, Vermont, NH, Maine and CT, now they will allow Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia.
Beginning September 15, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Colorado will also be allowed in.
The negative COVID-19 test has now been lengthened to 72-hours instead of 48-hours.
Travelers will still need to purchase insurance here, or here at INS, or here with Sagicor, fill out the epidemiological form and present their driver’s license (in addition to your passport).
The question still remains–SHOULD you travel to Costa Rica now? Be aware, first of all, that there are a limited amount of flights so you’ll need to see what airports you can go through. In other words, I’m from New York but I usually travel to Costa Rica through Atlanta. If I were to go in September, I would need to travel from either New York or Newark.
Some hotels will not be resuming business yet, and others are anxious to start making money again after they’ve been closed for so long.
Many beaches are only open until 2:30pm. Most open air activities are available. If you were to travel now, you’d enjoy a lot less crowds. But, be aware that some people might not be all that happy about seeing tourists again while still in a pandemic. You can surely understand this since people in the USA started wigging out about having out-of-state people coming to their hometowns.
This also brings us to the point that yes–Costa Rica is still having high numbers of positive cases. The number yesterday was 985. They are averaging anywhere from 9-11 deaths per day. Their hospitals are full which is why tourists need to purchase special insurance. You can’t expect them to have to care for you while you’re in their country.
Please think hard about whether you should travel now or maybe wait a few months.
August 20/Six US States To Be Allowed Into Costa Rica Beginning September
Beginning in September, residents from the following six states will be allowed into Costa Rica: New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut.
Residents of these states must bring proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of arriving. They must also purchase insurance that will cover their stay and care while here, and fill out the epidemiological form online.
More states will gradually be added.
Travelers will also need to present a valid driver’s license in addition to their passport as proof of state of residence. Of course, we know many people reside in more than one state, but that’s what they’re asking.
These states are the ones that have made dramatic progress in lowering their number of coronavirus cases. New York, once being the epicenter of the United States now has one of the lowest number of cases.
July 27/August 1 Border Opening/115 Deaths
Costa Rica’s coronavirus cases continue to stay at all time highs. Today’s count is 612 and there have been 115 deaths, which have skyrocketed over the last month.
Costa Rica is maintaining its August 1 border reopening, but only for Canada, the UK and European Union. They will start with very few flights. Anyone arriving in Costa Rica will need to produce a negative COVID test within 48 hours of landing—good luck with that. They will also need to fill out an epidemiology report and purchase traveler’s insurance. I do NOT recommend traveling to Costa Rica now. Their cases are high and hospitals are overwhelmed. Please consider re-booking your trip.
Meanwhile in the state of New York, we’ve had roughly 600 new cases, which is pretty low considering. The South is spiraling out of control and many are concerned there could be a national shutdown. Time will tell.
July 5/375 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica/19 Deaths
Today’s count of 375 cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica is up over yesterday’s 310 confirmed diagnoses and is the highest total since the onset of the pandemic.
July 4/ 310 New Cases Coronavirus in Costa Rica/Over 4,600 Total Cases Including Recoveries/Border Opening Tentatively August 1
Costa Rica’s coronavirus counts continue to skyrocket. Today, there were 310 confirmed cases, and 288 confirmed cases yesterday keeping time with the past few days of over 200 each. This number could be because of more testing, or more spread, but they are the highest since the onset of the pandemic.
If you’re in Costa Rica (or anywhere) and reading this please stay safe. Please wear a mask. We’ve had such a hard time with this in New York State where no one likes to be told to wear a mask, but they are sacrifices we make to keep one another safe. Please, just put the mask on.
In New York, our amounts of virus continue to decline, unlike many of the southern states like Florida, Texas and Arizona that are almost out of control.
Costa Rica has announced a tentative border opening for August 1. I wouldn’t hold my breath on this date, but even if it holds, it will be for countries with low and controlled amounts of virus. Think Canada. If you’re from the USA, it will probably be a while yet. If you have a trip you need to cancel or reschedule, try to get an e-credit and then make your reservations when we get the “all-okay”. You may have to pay more if there’s a price difference, but you may end up with money back, too. Stay positive!
Announcements of which countries will be allowed back should be announced sometime this month.
Until then, let’s let Costa Rica be Costa Rica and begin to reduce her numbers, too.
Stay safe everyone, and happy 4th of July!
June 23/91 New Cases Coronavirus in Costa Rica/No Date on Border Opening Yet/Mandatory Use of Face Masks Starts Saturday
Costa Rica’s highest number of cases per day since the beginning of the pandemic continues with 91 new cases today. This follows 64 cases Monday, 86 cases Sunday and 69 on Saturday.
We are still waiting for a firm date on the border re-opening, but suspect it will be moved further out in the coming days. Costa Rica will not be accepting tourists from countries with high virus numbers once they reopen, and that means tourists from the United States. It’s a watch and wait situation at this point.
Meanwhile, due to high numbers, use of face masks will become mandatory as of Saturday, June 27.
The highest numbers are being counted in the north of the country, but that is gradually moving south, which is very worrisome.
June 18/ New Date for Border Opening Could Be Coming Soon
A lot has been happening with coronavirus in Costa Rica since the last entry. Costa Rica has some trouble zones in the north of the country, and is now recording the highest single number counts per day, since the beginning of the pandemic. A lot of these cases are being blamed on influx from the northern border in Nicaragua. This is devastating news as Costa Rica has been on track for reopening measures in the past few days (which they plan to continue with except for the northern areas).
Costa Rica is also getting hit hard without lack of tourist dollars and businesses all throughout the country are suffering.
There has been no formal announcement moving the border reopening further out from June 30, but I believe that’s imminent in the coming days.
Meanwhile, back here in New York, our strict measures at halting transmission has been for the good as cases continue to go down. Many other states are having surges in cases.
May 30/Over 1,000 Cases Coronavirus in Costa Rica/Border Closure Extended
Costa Rica now has over 1,000 cases of coronavirus, but counting recoveries, they are still quite low at under 400 active cases. Border closure has been extended until June 30, and it wouldn’t entirely surprise me if it were extended again after that.
May 23/Over 900 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica, 600 Recoveries
Costa Rica’s coronavirus count has been slowly rising, but the amount of recoveries has made the active count quite low. There are just over 900 cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. Due to the over 600 recoveries, that puts Costa Rica at just over 300 active cases, which is still tragic, but a low number for the country. This lower number has to be attributed to people staying at home and especially with the restrictions put on license plate numbers and days allowed to be on the road. Costa Rica has done pretty well on social distancing, although there have been many complaints about large groups in the streets. Hopefully Costa Rica’s number will continue to slow and recoveries will continue to rise.
In New York State, we had 84 deaths yesterday, significantly lower that in past weeks. While this is good news, it is still 84 deaths, 84 families with heartbreak. We will continue to socially distance.
Masks are still a requirement when going into public places, but more and more people every day continue to defy the order claiming it violates their “constitutional rights”.
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, usually a time of gatherings, barbecues, parades and picnics. It will be very different this year, without the typical celebrations. Gatherings of over 10 have been banned in New York State.
What I’m seeing is a lot of people enjoying their yards, doing home repairs, gardening and spending time together. As dire as the reason for all of this is, this is one positive aspect to come out of a bad situation.
May 13, 2020/815 Cases Coronavirus in Costa Rica/8 Deaths
There are now a total of 815 cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica, but with over 500 people recovered, active cases are only in the high 200’s.
Costa Rica has had 8 deaths in total.
Costa Rica has also cancelled its annual August 2nd pilgrimage to the Basilica de Los Angeles in Cartago.
Yesterday in New York, there were 160 deaths.
May 10, 2020/765 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica, Recoveries Going Up/Border Closure Extended
Costa Rica now has 765 cases (recoveries not included). Recoveries are up, and some businesses are slowly opening, including restaurants with limited seating as well as take-out.
7 deaths in total.
The border closure has been extended until June 15.
May 2, 2020/ 733 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica and Slowing Down
Costa Rica has had a total of 733 of coronavirus, with cases now slowing way down, and almost 400 recoveries. This is great news, Costa Rica has done very well in its efforts to slow down the transmission. Hopefully cases continue to decline.
There have been 6 deaths in the country.
In New York, cases are also declining with roughly 300 deaths yesterday, still incredibly tragic.
April 26/695 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica Total
Costa Rica now has 695 confirmed cases of coronavirus, not including recoveries. Costa Rica appears to be slowing down as far as new cases go, and that’s good news.
New York is also on the downslide, very gradually.
Costa Rica’s borders remain to be closed, now until May 15
April 16/642 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 642 cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, in New York State, we had roughly 223,000 cases with a staggering 15,000 deaths. “New York on Pause” will continue through May 15, with non-essential business remaining closed.
April 15/ 626 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 626 cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica. They also report a fourth death, an 84-year old man.
April 10/558 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
558 cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica. The good news is that there are people recovering and being released from the hospital.
April 9/539 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
The count in Costa Rica has now gone up to 539.
Cases in Cartago are 12.
Count in New York City alone is 87,725 cases and 4,778 deaths.
April 8/502 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s coronavirus count has now gone over the five-hundred mark with 502 cases. They have also marked the third death, a 45-year old male who had no other health issues.
April 5/454 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
The coronavirus count in Costa Rica has now gone up to 454.
April 4/435 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 435 cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica. 7 are in Cartago. This number also includes patients that have recovered.
Meanwhile, here in New York State, the count is about 113,700. 63,000 of these are in New York City. We have had 3,500 deaths. The United States count is over 300,000.
April 3/416 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 416 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica. For Holy Week, special restrictions have been put into place. Until April 7th, there should be no cars on the road from 5pm to 5am. After that, only cars with license plates that end in a specific number may be allowed on the road on certain days.
March 29/314 COVID-19 Infected
Costa Rica’s coronavirus count has gone up to over 300 now. 314 cases have been confirmed.
March 27/263 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 263 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica.
The national curfew has been extended to 8pm-5am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
March 26/231 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
Costa Rica now confirms 231 cases of COVID-19. The majority of these cases are in Alajuela, followed by San Jose. There are 5 cases in Cartago.
March 25/ 201 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
201 cases of coronavirus are confirmed in Costa Rica.
March 24/Curfew in Place/177 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 177 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Costa Rica. A national curfew also begins today, traffic is prohibited from 10pm-5am with a few exceptions–cargo trucks, taxis, buses, food delivery vehicles, construction vehicles, police and emergency travel to a pharmacy or hospital are the only exclusion to this measure.
March 22/ 134 Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
Costa Rica now has 134 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths.
March 20th/2 Deaths Due to Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now two coronavirus-related deaths in Costa Rica. The second victim is an 87-year old man, the same age as the first victim.
There are 113 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Costa Rica has closed their beaches and all national parks in an effort to get people to stay home. Both are closed until April 13th when the situation will have to be assessed.
In New York State they have reduced all non-essential workers from 50% to 75% to 100% today. This is going to be devastating to businesses everywhere, to put it mildly.
March 19th/87 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica
There are now 87 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica, 4 are in Cartago.
Borders Close at Noon/ 69 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica, 1 Death/March 18th
Costa Rica’s borders close today at noon, to foreigners and non-residents. However, you can still leave the country.
69 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica and the first death, an 87-year old man in Alajuela.
Cases Jump to 50/ March 17
Confirmed cases of coronavirus jump from 41 to 50.
March 16/41 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica, Borders to Close on Wednesday
As of March 16th, Costa Rica has declared a State of Emergency and officially closed its borders to everyone except residents/citizens from Wednesday, March 18th at noon until April 12. All returning residents/citizens may be subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine. As of today, Costa Rica’s coronavirus count is 41 confirmed.
Several attractions have been closed such as the Ruins of Ujarras in Cartago, the lookout points of Ujarras and Orosi, as well as the National Amusement Park.
Meanwhile in New York, we have 950 confirmed cases. NYC schools have closed and all restaurants and bars will allow no indoor seating. Take-out only. All movie theaters and gyms are closed until further notice.
Supermarkets restocking most items except toilet tissue.
35 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica, Bars and Nightclubs Ordered to Close/March 15
Costa Rica’s bars and nightclubs ordered to close. 35 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica.
In Upstate New York, toilet tissue seems to be the hot item, sold out in stores. Items in short supply appear to be paper towels, all canned goods and soups, frozen vegetables, pasta, flour, butter, red meat, chicken and bread.
26 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica, First Case in Cartago Province/March 13
There are 26 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica with the first case in the Cartago Province now showing up.
22 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica/March 11
As of March 11, there are now 22 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Costa Rica. The University of Costa Rica will close and conduct all classes online.
9 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Costa Rica/March 8th
9 confirmed cases of coronavirus confirmed in Costa Rica
First Case of Coronavirus in Costa Rica Confirmed/March 6th
The first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Costa Rica by a 49-year old woman from New York. She is isolated in an unnamed San Jose hotel along with her husband. Unfortunately, the woman had traveled to several areas in Costa Rica before experiencing symptoms including the Pacific Coast region.