QCOSTARICA – Costa Rica President, Carlos Alvarado, and his wife, Claudia Dobles, are working from after having had “indirect” contact with a person with covid-19.
This was reported Wednesday night by the Casa Presidencial, after inquiries about whether the president and the first lady were isolated for having had contact with a person with the virus.
However, Casa Presidencial clarified that both, for a “strictly preventive issue”, are teleworking, but he did not give more details such as how long they would both be working from home or who of the two had indirect contact.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the precaution of teleworking has been taken when there have been indirect contacts, as in this case, to avoid any risk to third parties. It is for a strictly preventive issue that the president and Doña Claudia are teleworking,” the Presidency responded.
What Casa Presidencial did clarify is that “neither President Alvarado nor the first lady have had close contact with any positive case of covid-19.”
Therefore, it added, they are not in isolation, but rather carrying out tasks typical of their positions from home.
“Mandatory isolation would proceed only in case of direct contact. And it is not appropriate (to) test, according to the guidelines,” added the Presidency.
Tonight, the president and his wife were to have attended the celebration of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the Fuerza Publica (national police), held at the Costa Rica Convention Center, in Belén, Heredia.
But both were absent. The president alleged “reasons of force majeure” in a video presented at the event, in which he and his wife sent congratulations to the police force.
The previous week, Victoria Campos, Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), tested positive for covid-19.
The minister became the first member of the Alvarado cabinet to be infected with the coronavirus.
Previously, the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, was in preventive isolation between the end of August and the beginning of September, for being in contact with his father (who was infected while hospitalized and later died), but did not develop the disease.
