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Published Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Tourists rejected for failing to
meet entry requirements
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Over the weekend, a Spanish tourist posted a series of videos on social media, where he is angry for being refused entry to the country by the officers of the General Directorate of Migration.
According to the man's claims, on his twitter account @endeavourdeck, he had traveled with his mother, an 80-year-old woman, on an Iberia Airline flight. The trip did not present any problem until he arrived at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) , Alajuela Province, where the authorities did not allow him to enter.
"We have been rejected by the Costa Rican authorities, we have made a 10,000-kilometer trip, we brought serological tests that have been negative in Spain (referring to the covid-19 diagnostic test)," the tourist said on his twitter account.
Allegedly, the rejection was because the test presented by the man and his mother did not correspond to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test requested by the government. "The PCR is useless, even if the decree says so, the PCR is useless," added the tourist.
In response to tourist complaints, the Tourism Institute clarifies that the entry of tourists from Spain are allowed from August 1, 2020, as long as they meet "a series of requirements duly published for six weeks. "
"We deeply regret the event that occurred, however the rules for entering the country are very clear since before August 1," the Institute said in its statement. "The only test indicated in the decrees of the Costa Rican legislation that is admitted as a requirement for the negativity of the covid-19 disease is the PCR test."
According to the institute, serological tests are not a test admitted by Costa Rican legislation to this day.
As Costa Ricans could not enter a country for breaking its entry requirements, Costa Rica cannot allow people who fail to meet its requirements. "It is a matter of absolute respect for sovereignty between countries," the Institute said.
Authorities call on tourists to come to the coast complying with the rules due to the pandemic. 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 at the following link to the 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.
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:
• As of today, residents of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia and Washington D.C. will be able to travel into Costa Rica.
• As of Sept. 15, residents of Colorado, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania will be able to enter.
Passengers coming from the U.S.A. must show 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.
"Costa Rica is an ideal destination in the new world, a destination without crowds, full of outdoor experiences and with companies committed to the application of the guidelines to prevent covid-19," the institute said.
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