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 The second commercial flight arrived from the U.S. was an United Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia (LIR) with 68 passengers. - Casa Presidencial courtesy photo- |
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Published Monday, September 7, 2020 rejected upon arrival in the country, says the Chamber of Tourism By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The government assumes an arbitrary and an inconvenient position with foreign residents by rejecting their entry into the national territory, strictly, without offering options to solve their situation, the National Chamber of Tourism, Canatur said. According to the decree that regulates the entry of resident foreigners, it indicates that no foreign person can enter the country if they fail to demonstrate that their insurance payment quotas with Social Security are not up to date, despite having a regular immigration category and meeting all other entry requirements. Due to this limiting condition, the Chamber calls on the Costa Rican government to make this requirement more flexible. "The first option (for a resident who returns to the country) should not be to return it, but to offer options so the person can update the status immediately, or else, to assume a payment commitment with a set term," Rubén Acón, president of Canatur, said. According to Acón, preventing the entry of travelers to reduce the risk of contagion should be based on virus detection tests, not on a requirement of this type. "In this opening process our image is also at stake," he said. "The importance of the community of residents in these times is invaluable, they are people who maintain investments, who create jobs and who activate and dynamize the economy through consumption," Acón said. The Chamber's request is because, on Thursday of last week, five immigrant residents could not enter the country. They failed to comply with one of the entry requirements ordered by the General Directorate of Migration and the Ministry of Health. Of the rejected foreign-born residents, three are residents and did not have full payment of the quotas with Social Security and two passengers came from countries that are not included in the list of countries that allow the reactivation of commercial flights. The five passengers arrived on the first commercial flight authorized to arrive in the country, United Airlines flight UAL1080 arrived at 11:30 a.m. to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela Province from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey with 146 passengers. The second commercial flight arrived on Saturday. This was the second United Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia (LIR) with 68 passengers. In this case, all of them met the requirements to enter the country. Since August 1, Costa Rica has maintained open-air borders with the 26countries of the European Union (Schengen zone), United Kingdom, Japan; South Korea; Thailand, Singapore, China, Oceania, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Uruguay, and certain states from the United States. The 26 countries of the Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the case of the United States, only people living in 12 of the 50 states are allowed to enter the country beginning on the following dates: • Since September 1, residents of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia and Washington D.C. can travel into Costa Rica. • As of September 15, residents of Colorado, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania will be able to enter. All foreign-born people who enter the country by air with a tourist visa must meet the following requirements: • Fill out the electronic epidemiological online Health Pass form. • RT-PCR diagnostic test with a negative result; the sample must have been taken within 72 hours of travel to Costa Rica. • Traveler's Medical Insurance can be purchased in their country of origin or Costa Rica through the Government Insurance Institute or approved private insurance companies located in Costa Rica. • Passengers coming from the U.S.A. must show through their driver’s license or state identification (State ID) that they live in one of the 12 authorized states. This requirement excludes children traveling with their families. More information on entry and exit requirements for U.S. citizens can be reached at the following link of the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica. According to Migration, the failure to comply with even one of these requirements has caused the rejection of entry to 45 people of different nationalities in August. The list of countries and states that are allowed to enter tourism is constantly updated, so it is expected that in the coming days there will be a new region authorized to reopen commercial flights in the country. Should the government relax the requirements for tourists and residents to enter the country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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