(QCOSTARICA) “Irresponsible and of no solidarity”. This is how Dr. Daniel Salas, Minister of Health, described the messages that question the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which today registers 8,036 cases in Costa Rica and 32 deaths.
During the Monday noon presser, Minister Salas spoke on the memes on social networks and the small group near Casa Presidencial in Zapote, with placards that affirm that the health emergency is a lie.
“It is painful to hear different messages that have been circulating on social networks, especially with the families who are suffering and there could be many more. Right now, we could have a lot more deaths if we hadn’t done things the way we have. It is painful to see messages indicating that there is no pandemic, that this is made-up to control.
“To tell the families of patients hospitalized in intensive care, or of those who are crying the deaths of those 31 people*, that this does not exist or that this virus was invented, it’s cruelty, it is a contempt for human life. I am very sorry that there are such messages and these types of demonstrations,” Salas said at a press conference.
“It seems very irresponsible, very little solidarity and an act to destabilize the country and the world. There are already a little more than 571,000 deceased people in the world and they could be much more if governments and people had not reacted by taking sanitary measures.
“We know that there is a percentage of people who tend to think that this is not real, but that in the end, I know that most of us are committed to the life and health of people in the country and in the world,” he said.
“There are going to be many people who are going to try to put doubt in the population, to put a feeling of instability, that this is (the virus) not happening. We from the point of view of the government and the Ministry of Health have given the available information, we have been doing the best we can.
“Constructive criticism is welcome. People are trying to say that this is not happening, that the handling is wrong. What do you propose? Talking is very easy but proposing solutions is very difficult,” said the minister.
Police authorities reported about 25 people outside the government house all morning and that by 1:00 pm, when the daily press conference takes place, they were still on the street.
*Death 32 was reported Monday afternoon after the press conference
