QCOSTARICA – Before a Legislative Assembly that, for the most part, questioned over and over again her decisions as Minister of Health, Joselyn Chacón gave herself a pat on the back and took credit for the current situation due to COVID-19 in Costa Rica.
The Minister defended her work and assured that she has been harshly criticized, but that it was her decisions that we have a much more encouraging and calm outlook than a year ago in terms of the pandemic.
“Each one gives what’s in their heart. I have a completely clear conscience in coming to you to tell you that despite having opened up the country, despite having gotten children back to the classroom, I have decreased deaths, I have decreased cases, I have decreased patients in intensive care. Where is the sin?” she defended.
The minister assured that during her time at the head of the Ministry she has managed to improve the national situation, unlike what happened in the previous administration.
Read more: Minister of Health: “Closing the country again is not an option…”
“Explain to me why more children died when we were locked up and explain to me why now children, because of that confinement, cannot face certain other viruses because they can kill them,” she added.
For Chacón, the criticism against her is due to acts of discrimination due to her sex and her age, beyond her decisions.
“This country is still not used to a young person and woman being able to take on certain challenges and what hurts many the most is that we are doing well. When I decided to open this country and send the children back to school, they told me that I had made the worst mistake and that half of the country was going to die and it was not like that,” she said.
Timeline
Joselyn Chacón took over the Ministry of Health on May 8, appointed by President Rodrigo Chaves who took office on the same day.
The announcement to return to face-to-face classes was made by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) on January 4, 2022, that is, by the previous administration, before Chaves took office.
On March 7, 2022, the sanitary vehicle restrictions were eliminated. On that same date, the operation limitation for businesses was also removed.
In August 2022, the lifting the state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic went into effect, opening up the country completely. See our article here: The lifting of the state of emergency due to covid-19 is in effect
