One hundred and twelve Costa Ricans were finally home, in Costa Rica, this Friday, returning on a special flight from Houston, Texas.
They were stranded in the United States since March 31, when flights were suspended due to the pandemic, where there are now more than 700,000 infected and There, there are 738,900 infected and 39,015 dead (April 19).
This special flight was a coordinated effort between Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry, the United States Embassy in Costa Rica and United Airlines.
It was an exchange flight, as a group of Americans who were in a similar situation in Tiquicia were able to back to the U.S.
The Ticos came from all over the United States: Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Arizona, New Hampshire, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Missouri, and also from countries such as Korea and Japan, received full support from the authorities and coordinated to get to Texas where they boarded the plane without any problem.
The flight arrived at Juan Santamaria International Airport at 10:30 am. Each passenger was interviewed and checked medically, the first passengers leaving the airport around 1 pm.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Salas said that 20 of the 112 passengers were tested, and two tested positive with the covid-19; the others were issued a health order not to leave their homes during the next 14 days.
“People who did come symptomatic were tested. Those who took the test and those who did not, will be monitored daily to see if they develop symptoms, how they are feeling, and in addition to this, they were given a health order to isolate, as with all the people who have arrived in these days,” the Ministry of Health responded on Friday to a query from La Nación.
The Costa Rican government thanked U.S. officials for the openness and help provided so that the return of this group of Costa Ricans could take place.
On Monday, April 20, another special flight by United Airlines, coordinated by the Governments of the United States and Costa Rica, will bring back to our country, from Houston, a new group of Costa Ricans from different locations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The work of the Foreign Ministry has so far enabled the return to the country of 1,254 Costa Ricans stranded in 67 different countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds people that if they do not have money to pay for plane tickets, only in proven cases of “situation of vulnerability”, they can submit a request for the “Repatriation Protocol” to get back home.
