Published Monday, May 18, 2020 

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos Puntarenas Province, will open its doors today at 7 a.m. expecting 1,300 visiting tourists, announced the Ministry of Environment on Sunday.

According to the ministry, the opening of today is an exception to the regular schedule that is from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.

The temporary allotted capacity may increase depending on the evolution of the pandemic in the country, said the ministry.

"We are committed to offering a safe experience to visitors while supporting the conservation efforts of the site and the economic reactivation of the communities near the park," said Pamela Castillo, vice-minister of Environment.

With the support of the Costa Rica Forever Association, the park installed multiple portable sinks for continuous hand washing and containers were placed for handling the waste. In addition, updated restrooms with a wastewater treatment plant were installed.

Also, the park rangers will use protective equipment such as face masks and thermometers to take the temperature of the visitors before they enter the park grounds.

People can enter the trails individually, in pairs or groups of no more than 5 people. Everyone must respect a distance of 10 meters, especially groups of people in so-called social bubbles. A social bubble is defined as a group of people with whom they have close physical contact.

However, access to the ocean is still prohibited, including beach access. Because beaches are closed to avoid crowds, the showers are also closed.

Hiking tours are allowed. Guided hiking services with park rangers will also be allowed for groups of no more than 5 people.

Private vehicles are not allowed.

Unlike other national parks, Manuel Antonio's cafeteria, locker rental service and the souvenir shop will be open.

Only one backpack per person will be allowed on the hike. The following are approved items to carry: bottled water, sunscreen, insect repellent, personal documents, hand sanitizer, personal medications, telephone, camera, diapers and bottle for infants and other essential items for the visit.

Food, alcoholic beverages, or plastic bags are prohibited. Along with pets, tobacco or other gases or vapors, including the electronic cigarette, and cigarette lighters will not be allowed.

Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the more popular tourist sites on the Central Pacific Coast. The park was created in 1972. Currently, there are 352 species of plants, 107 species of land mammals, 335 species of birds, 93 species of reptiles and 56 species of amphibians, the ministry reported.

The park receives more than half a million tourists a year, according to the ministry statistics.

Park tickets can only be pre-purchased online at the National System of National Parks, known as SINAC website. Park ticket box offices at park entrances will remain closed.

The rest of the parks, as Irazú Volcano, Poás Volcano, Arenal Volcano, Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, Guayabo National Monument, Braulio Carrillo National Park, Carara National Park, Corcovado National Park, Cahuita National Park, Tapantí National Park, Los Quetzales National Park and Hermosa- Punta Mala National Wildlife Refuge, will only open for three hours, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m., informed the ministry last week.

The wild protected zones are opening to visitors "as part of the effort made to boost economic recovery," said the ministry in its statement.

However, precautionary guidelines have been established following the Ministry of Health orders, such as a social distance of 2 meters between people, strict hygiene measures, and only allowing entry at half capacity.

Due to the guidelines ordered by the authorities, people who wish to visit these protected areas must meet the following requirements:

• Show no symptoms of ill-health or be sick.

• No diseases, or high-health risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, diseases of the circulatory system, cancer, etc.

• Under the age of 65.

• Visitors should continue to take all the recommended hygiene measures such as hand washing and wearing a face mask.

• Visitors still do not have access to the ocean or beach. No sun-bathing, no picnics, no naps, and no camping.

• Picnic areas and restaurants have not yet been set up, so visitors can not enter with food.

• Also, in the parking areas, only half the capacity of cars can be parked. Visitors must still respect the ban on driving plate numbers.

The authorities continue to closely observe the evolution of the covid-19 in the country, so keeping the parks and wilderness areas open will depend on the orders by the Ministry of Health.



On Sunday afternoon the Ministry of Health reported 10 more covid-19 infected patients in Costa Rica, reaching 288 active cases. Active patients are people who currently have the virus.

Authorities provided the following statistics related to the development of the covid-19 in the country:

• Of the 863 infected since the first case was detected in March, 565 coronavirus patients have fully recovered.

• The ages of those affected range from six months to 87 with an average age of 37. During the weekend one 6-months-old baby tested positive with the virus.

• 17 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 14 are in recovery rooms and 3 have been reported in an Intensive Care Unit, ICU, with delicate health conditions. Most of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes.

• 138 foreigners infected, of these 27 entered the country unauthorized and are jailed in the facilities of the Professional Migration Police in Heredia Province.

According to the authorities on Sunday, 46  foreigners working as truck drivers transporting merchandise,  were rejected to the enter the country because they tested positive for covid-19.

• 13,481 people have been ruled out.

• 20,115 medical covid-19 tests have been made.

• 10 deaths have been reported from patients infected with covid-19.

Authorities provided brief summaries of those that died from covid-19.

On Friday, May 15, at 8:00 p.m. authorities, reported the tenth fatal victim of covid-19 in the country, a 73-year-old Costa Rican man who lived in the province of San José. In addition to age as a risk factor, he experienced high blood pressure and heart surgery. He was diagnosed on April 25 and admitted from that date to México Hospital in San José Province .

Earlier that day, the ninth death of a patient with covid-19 was reported, a 58-year-old woman from Costa Rica who lived in Alajuela. She is the first female death infected with the virus in the country. She suffered from a type of cancer known as lymphoma and high blood pressure. She was diagnosed on April 23, and hospitalized since that date in the same México Hospital .

On May 13, authorities reported the death of a 75-year-old Costa Rican man who was diagnosed with the virus on April 8. On April 14, he was transferred to San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José Province. He then recovered, but the virus had already weakened his health. He had hypertension and complications from an old heart surgery that was carried out 17 years ago, which couldn’t overcome the damages left by the virus.

On May 10, authorities reported the death of an 80-year-old foreigner who was diagnosed with the virus on May 9 and admitted to Enrique Baltodano Hospital  in Liberia, Guanacaste Province.

On April 20, authorities reported the death of a 54-year-old Cuban national and Costa Rican resident. He was diagnosed with the coronavirus on March 6 and admitted to México Hospital in San José Province. He was identified as a superspreader of the covid-19, linked to 81 people infected with covid-19.

On April 19, authorities reported the death of a 69-year-old Costa Rican who was diagnosed with the coronavirus on March 25 and admitted at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José.

On April 15, authorities reported the death of an 84-year-old Costa Rican man who had tested positive for covid-19 on April 1. He was admitted to San Juan de Dios Hospital on April 5.

On April 8, authorities reported the death of a 45-year-old Costa Rican who entered the country from the U.S. in March, where it is presumed he was infected. He was hospitalized at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

On March 20 the death of an 87-years-old patient was reported. He was hospitalized at San Rafael Hospital in Alajuela Province.

A few days earlier, authorities reported on March 18 the first covid-19 affiliated death in the country. By coincidence, he was an 87-years-old man hospitalized in the same Alajuela Hospital.

The updated number of total patients in each district can be reached at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.

As of Monday night, the pandemic has killed 315,023 patients worldwide according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.


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Should authorities allow access to the rest of the parks for longer hours as at Manuel Antonio?   We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com