|
| 
Published Monday, July 27, 2020
Negative covid-19 tests required
to travel into Nicaragua
Several dozen Nicaraguans remain at the northern border of Peñas Blancas Post, in Guanacaste Province, because their government is now requiring its own citizens to enter the country with a negative result of covid-19 diagnosis test.
According to the Costa Rican General Directorate of Migration, the reason for this prohibition is the resolution of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health that requires its citizens to test for covid-19.
In other words, Nicaraguan border authorities are enacting strict measures to traveling Nicaraguans infected with covid-19. The government is requiring their citizens abroad not to be infected with covid-19 to re-enter their own country.
Due to this new order from Nicaragua and to avoid the accumulation of foreign-born people at the border area, authorities in Costa Rica have established the same request to people who wanted to travel to Nicaragua.
Now, Nicaraguans or any foreign-born person must present proof of having carried out a covd-19 test within 72 hours of traveling, and with a negative result.
The requirement is temporary and applied until further notice.
"This requirement will be enforceable for both Costa Rican and foreign people who intend to travel to Nicaragua," said Immigration in its statement. "People who do not meet this requirement will not be authorized to leave Costa Rica by the Costa Rican immigration authorities."
According to Immigration, people interested in traveling to Nicaragua must pay for the covid-19 diagnosis test at a private clinic, because Social Security and the Ministry of Health will not cover the cost of the tests to leave the country.
Also, the same measures will be required by international transportation that offer land travel services from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.
"A call is made to public and private means of transport, as well as to the Public Transport Council of the Ministry of Public Transport, to require people who intend to travel to Nicaragua on public transport, the covid-19 test with a negative result," Immigration said in its statement. "In case the person not having that requirement, we urge people not to travel until they have it, to avoid unnecessary crowds at border posts in the north of the national territory."
The strict health measure to travel between Costa Rica and Nicaragua isn’t applied to the southern border. According to an agreement Nicaraguan citizens who travel from Panama to Nicaragua will not require covid-19 testing, Immigration said in its statement.
----------------------
Have you heard of expats who must travel to Nicaragua during the pandemic? We would like to
know your thoughts on this story. Send your
comments to news@amcostarica.com
|
