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AMCostaRica© 
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 Some of the
flights allowed to arrive as for August 1, are those
coming from the European Union, from places such as
Frankfurt, Germany
and Madrid, Spain. / A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo |
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 Published Friday, July 24, 2020 U.K. and Australia out for reopening of international flights By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The plans for a gradual reopening of the tourism industry, safeguarding sanitary measures, for international commercial flights is set to begin on Saturday, August 1. "The recovery of the sector will be carried out with the utmost prudence and following strict sanitary guidelines, always with the supreme conviction of ensuring the health and life of the people," President Carlos Alvarado said. Some of the flights allowed to arrive as for August 1, are those coming from the European Union, from places such as Frankfurt, Germany and Madrid, Spain. The Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela Province will be the only one so far receiving international flights. The reopening announcement does not include flights from any airport in the United States, Canada, Australia, Latin America or the rest of the countries. However, "flights from the U.K. and Canada could be allowed in the coming months," said the Health Ministry in its statement. "This first stage of opening to international flights includes less than 1% of the volume of flights the country registered before the covid-19 pandemic, which was 552 arrivals per week," said Daniel Salas, Minister of Health. Authorities expected less than 6 international flights per week. In order to enter the county, tourists must comply with the following mandatory requirements: • Confirm a negative covid-19 test taken within the past 48 hours before the trip. • Complete the digital epidemiological form of Social Security. This application will be enabled in different languages. • Have travel insurance that covers quarantine and medical expenses in case of illness. Upon landing on Costa Rica, travelers must comply with hygiene guidelines, such as: • Wear a face mask. • Comply with the strict sanitary guidelines of the airport. • Maintain physical distance. • Walkthrough the disinfection carpets. • Allow temperature tests. • Comply with any other health order. "If tourists do not meet these requirements, they will not be authorized to arrive in the country," the ministry said. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the precautions and sanitary guidelines are necessary for a safe reopening of commercial flights to reactivate the tourism sector. The gradual inclusion of additional international flight routes, such as from the United States, will be modified according to the development of the pandemic in Costa Rica and in the world. The government declared a national state of emergency due to the covid-19 crisis and ordered the closure of all borders, including maritime, land and air since March. The decree allowed only Costa Ricans and foreign residents to enter the country. It is expected that the government will provide more information on the dismissal of the Yellow and Orange Alerts on August 1, which will allow the highly expected international tourists, as well as local tourists to travel freely throughout the country. The soft reopening of the international airport may change depending on the accelerated increase in covid-19 infected patients and deaths reported. As of Thursday afternoon, the ministry provided the following statistics of the status of the virus in the country: • 768 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 9,601 active cases. The ages of patients infected range from a three-month-old baby to a 98-year-old person. • 3,747 foreign-born people have been infected of the 13,129 cases since March, approximately 28% of the total cases. • 290 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 247 patients are in recovery rooms and 43 are in Intensive Care Units, ICU, with delicate health conditions. Most of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes. • 3,448 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, which is a 26% recovery rate. • 50,253 people have been ruled out. • 74,375 medical covid-19 tests have been made. • 80 deaths of patients infected with covid-19 since March. Which is almost a 0.6% death rate. Of the total of deaths, one person whose nationality is not yet identified, 23 foreign-born people, and 56 Costa Ricans. Of these 27 were women and 53 men. Readers can reach the updated number of total patients in each district at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map. As of Thursday night, the pandemic has killed 637,391 patients worldwide, according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. ----------------------------- Should the government allow the arrival and departure of flights without restrictions to increase tourism? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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