(QCOSTARICA) The Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Salas, is in self- isolation at home until Sunday, September 6, after his father tested positive for COVID-19.
The information was confirmed by the Ministry of Health, during the Tuesday afternoon press conference.
Salas’s father was admitted to hospital on August 14 due to coronary disease. On Monday, Augst 24, it was confirmed that the senior Salas has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The press office of the Ministry of Health indicated that the contagion of the minister’s father could have been intrahospital.
Meanwhile, the Minister will remain isolated in a room in his house, without having contact with his wife and daughter, until September 6. Meanwhile, he will be teleworking and be at his office in person on Monday, September 7.
He is expected to be at work on Monday, September 7Salas would return to work in person on Monday, September 7, although he will work virtually as of August 26, his press office reported.
At this time, the Minister has no symptoms and as such will not, based on health guidelines, be tested to detect the coronavirus.
Possible in-hospital infection
Jorge Eduardo Salas Rodríguez, the minister’s father, 68 years old, was admitted to the Hospital México on August 14 due to a heart condition, with no connection to COVID-19.
Salas Rodríguez is still hospitalized in stable condition, reported the press office of the Ministry of Health.
Initially, Minister Salas was to have returned to work on Monday, August 14, but the new situation forced a change of plans. In his place, the Vice Minister of Health, Pedro González is the acting minister.
In an interview with La Nación’s Revista Dominical on August 12, Salas expressed his daily concern about the effects of this pandemic in Costa Rica.
‘If you the pandemic touches you, are you ready? At that moment one is scared, but you face it if it comes. But saying that one is reading for something like this is 100% impossible,” the minister said at the time.
Salas has never hidden his regret over the deaths due to CVOID, which to today, August 25, total 376.
“If the population is neglectful and relaxes, the number of deaths will be much higher and that is very painful. To see families suffering, coworkers who no longer have each other because the virus took them away. It’s very sad,” Salas said on August 12.
(QCOSTARICA) Costa Rica has the third-highest average salary in Latin America, concludes a study by Picodi.
Ticos earn an average of US$737 per month, lower than the salary of Panamanians ($774) and Puerto Ricans ($1,858).
In the world, Switzerland has the highest average salary, at US$5,989 per month, while Cuba offers the least onerous salaries since it pays its inhabitants an approximate of US$36 per month.
This analysis was based on the latest average salary rates published by Numbeo.com. For the conversion of the currency to dollars, exchange rate indicators for the month of August 2020 were used.
(QCOSTARICA) At about 4.02 pm Monday, less than 10 minutes after the magnitude 6 earthquake in Jaco, Puntarenas, the Rincón de la Vieja volcano erupted, with a column of gas that rose some 1,000 meters above the crater height and 2,916 meters above sea level, reports the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (Ovsicori).
The activity lasted four minutes.
There was no reported ashfall or smell of sulfur in the vicinity of the volcano.
The Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN) – National Seismological Network was quick to point out that the eruption, though very close together in time, was not related to the earthquake that rattled the country minutes earlier.
Rincón de la Vieja (The Old Woman’s Corner) is an active andesitic complex volcano in north-western Costa Rica, about 23 km (14 mi) from Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste.
Rincón de la Vieja is a reference to a local legend about princess Curabanda whose lover Mixcoac, chief of a neighboring enemy tribe, who was thrown into the crater by her father Curabande, when he learned about their affair. She went on living on the side of the volcano, giving birth to a son. To be with its father, she threw her son into the volcano, too. She continued to live on the volcano and became a recluse living on the mountain, and was credited with powers of healing.
Rincón de la Vieja is one of six active volcanos in Costa Rican: the others are Poás, Irazú, Miravalles, Arenal, and Turrialba.
Costa Rica is home to a great number of volcanoes — there are six active volcanoes: Rincon de la Vieja, Poás, Irazú, Miravalles, Arenal, and Turrialba, and another 61 dormant or extinct ones.
(QCOSTARICA) Three legislators propose creating incentives to attract investors, pensioners and rentiers (rentistas) to the country.
Presentation of the bill for its processing in the Legislative Assembly.
The legislators presented the bill last Thursday, August 20, in order to contribute to the economic recovery of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative was signed by María Inés Solís, of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), Silvia Hernández, of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), and Mileidy Alvarado, of the Partido Restauración Nacional (PRN).
According to the proposal, the people covered by this regime would enjoy the following incentives for a period of five years:
A one-time-only duty-free and exemption of all other taxes on the importation of household items and tax exemption for the import of a vehicle for personal or family use. The vehicle may be sold or transferred to third parties exempted from said taxes after three years from the date the vehicle entered the country.
Exoneration of 20% of the total transfer tax on real estate acquired within the term of the law, as long as the beneficiary is the registered owner of the property. If the beneficiary person transfers the assets within three years of their acquisition, they must pay the taxes from which they were exempted. If the beneficiary person renounces their status as a retired resident or as a rentier resident within the term of this law, she must pay the taxes from which she was exempted.
For the category of investors, for the term established by law, a new investment range is established with a capital of not less than US$150,000, according to the official exchange rate determined by the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR), whether in real estate, registrable assets, shares, securities and productive projects or projects of national interest. The current law requires a US$200,000 minimum investment.The initiative establishes that the Ministerio de Gobernación (Ministry of the Interior), through the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME) – immigration service – will have a specialized service window for the migratory categories of investors, retired residents and rentier residents.
“I have been constant about the situation in which Costa Rica finds itself, plunged in an unprecedented economic crisis, a condition that, according to economic projections, threatens to worsen even more, so that legislators are forced to establish strategies that not only depend on our domestic market as an alternative to boost, but we must create policies to attract investment, which will create more jobs and reactivate the economy,” said Solís.
The legislator explained that the proposal is promoted between different aspects, taking into account that, according to the Prosperity Index 2019, prepared by the Legatum Institute 3, Costa Rica is the second-best country in Latin America to live, surpassed only by Chile.
Areas such as personal freedom, environmental policies, and governance are highlighted as its most prevalent axes, which make Costa Rica an extremely attractive destination for investors.
If approved, this law will apply to all those persons who are authorized to enter our country under the immigration categories of investors, retired residents or rentier residents.
Rafael Valverde, at Outlier Legal, is of the opinion that “While it is a good start to create some incentives for expats to relocate to Costa Rica, a lot more should be done.”
Valverde says that the government can create other incentives and/or adjustments to make it more attractive for foreign nationals to relocate to Costa Rica. Some of them are:
Simplify the residency process for people applying as self-employed or with a small business.
Grant estancias (a lesser immigration category) for people who do not want residency or do not meet the investment amount but have property in Costa Rica.
Make more flexible regulations for digital nomads.
Make driver’s licenses more accessible to foreign nationals.
Create a tax exemption to all startups. This option is the only one to require a law, the other options can be passed via executive order.
What are your thoughts? Post your comments on our official Facebook page, Twitter or send an email.
(QCOSTARICA) The week begins with uncertainty about what measures will be applied next month to control the spread of the new coronavirus, at a time when the productive sector desperately demands flexibility to work, but the numbers of daily cases last week ranged from 700 to more than 1,000.
For this Monday, 643 new infections of COVID-19 are reported, of which 68 are due to epidemiological nexus and 575 due to laboratory tests. The accumulated since March is 34,463.
The report Monday was delivered by acting Minister of Health, Pedro González, who informed that the Minister, Dr. Daniel Salas, who was to have to returned to work today, will be out for a couple of more days to attend to a family matter.
González stressed that with the work of the three levels of Health, they were able to update the recovered of COVID-19, adding 2,240 people today.
Thus, the total of recovered reaches 12,758 in 81 cantons, with ages between 0 and 99 years.
However, there is still a lag. Due to this delay, only 37% of the infected appear as recovered.
Gonzalez noted that by next week, they will be caught up.
On Monday, 414 people were reported in hospital, of which 143 are in intensive care units (ICU), ranging in age from 0 to 94.
There were seven deaths reported for Monday, three men and four women, for total of 362.
Pending announcements
On Friday, President Carlos Alvarado announced that this week “optimizations” will be announced in the matter of restrictions, given the recognition that measures are required that meet health needs but also economic ones.
The intention, he said, “is to simplify”.
The announcement, if following past patterns, will come either on Thursday or Friday and take effect starting Monday, August 31.
A possible gradual return to face-to-face classes is also foreseen for September, however, to date it has not been clarified if it will take place.
The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) said, through its press office, that the decision will be announced at the daily press conference in the following days.
Staring September 1, commercial flights from six US states will commence at both the Juan Santamaria international airport in San Jose and the Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia.
Rico’s TICO BULL – How many of you have a Compass, the quick pass device by BAC? They’re great, aren’t they?
You can breeze through the tolls on the Ruta 27 and pay for parking at many places, such as Multiplaza and my favorite, a real time-saver, at the San Jose airport. No need to find a pay machine, make line during busy times, have people wait in your car why you do the pay thing and no headache sticking the ticket out your window waiting for the machine to read your ticket that sometimes it just won’t.
But there is a downside. All triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Compass comes with a US$3.50 plus VAT monthly cost. Use it or not, the billing continues.
Like many others, I have had little need to use the Compass. The vehicular restrictions limit the days I can drive, and my driving in the past five months has been almost nil, no longer am I measuring how many kilometers to a gallon or liter, rather how many months to a gallon or liter.
In my case, it was six months to half an 85-liter tank of gas. In fact, I have to get gas today, the last time I did that was in February.
Which brought my attention to my Quickpass. While I have only used it one, earlier this month, I have been paying the monthly.
Given that I don’t foresee using the device for more months to come, logical would be to suspend the service until, well we get back to some normality.
Getting in touch with my bank, BAC Credomatic, and did I get a shock: to cancel the service I would have to pay the bank US$45 plus tax if less than 24 months (as in my case) dropping to US$30 plus tax for 25-36 months or US$25 plus tax for more than 36 months.
And, the device has to be in perfect condition and with the windshield clip undamaged.
The BAC Compass is easy to buy, but costly to cancel. Beware!
What?
I purchased the device outright, or at least I thought I had, about a year ago. Having been paying the monthly to keep it active and it has been very useful, without a doubt.
But now, in these times of COVID, the bank is automatically charging me almost US$4 a month, use or not, or pay them an atrocious penalty, for a device I paid for, to cancel the service. And it has to be done in person at a local branch.
Something is terribly wrong here. How many of you who have a Quickpass knew that? I didn’t.
I have tried to talk to the bank, online rather than go to the branch, and all I get is, “Those would be the conditions.If you don’t agree with the conditions, you can always file a complaint to https://www.baccredomatic.com/es-cr/people/quejas-y-sugerencias”.
This is the message in Spanish:
Puede devolver el dispositivo en cualquier sucursal física sin costo durante los 3 primeros meses de adquisición. Debe entregarlo completo (dispositivo y prensa nueva) y en buen estado, pasados los 3 meses; se aplicará el proceso de la devolución y se cobrará de la siguiente manera:
4 – 24 meses: $45 + IVA.
25- 36 meses: $30 + IVA.
Mayor a 36 meses: $25 + IVA.
La devolución se realiza en sucursal física.
Esas serian las condiciones anteriormente mencionadas. De no parecerle las condiciones, puede poner su inconformidad en: https://www.baccredomatic.com/es-cr/people/quejas-y-sugerencias.
All I want to do is suspend the billing (and use) until this we can work again.
I would appreciate your comments, send me an email, that I will use to build a case of conscience with the bank. I won’t use your name, just the message.
(QCOSTARICA) Three Mobile Medical Units (UMM) were donated to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Socia (CCSS) from the United States Government.
U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day
Each one has five modules that can be used independently or interconnected.
The units will provide support to health facilities at a time when it is necessary to quickly expand or reinforce their installed capacity for the care of patients with Covid-19.
The donation includes a total of 15 modules that add up to a total usable area of 729 square meters (7,800 square feet).
In addition, each one includes 40 stretchers, for a total of 120.
Initially, one will be installed in the Hospital Mexico and another in San Juan de Dios. The third will provide support to other health facilities when required.
The new mobile medical units are quick and easy to assemble and are made of high-quality materials: aircraft-grade aluminum, fire and mold resistant vinyl, and are capable of withstanding various climates and weather conditions, including rain, strong winds and tropical environments.
They have a power plant, lighting, independent air conditioning systems in each module, a water supply system from an external drinking source, an internal thermal insulation cover, and portable sinks to facilitate the hygiene of the hands of officials, patients and companions.
For Dr. Román Macaya Hayes, executive president of the CCSS, these mobile medical units will allow the institution to provide support to health facilities at a time when it is necessary to rapidly expand or reinforce its installed capacity for patient care with COVID-19.
“This donation is of great importance for our service network, since, at this time, it will allow us to provide a quick and effective solution to the needs to expand the installed capacity of our health facilities and once this pandemic is over, it will allow us to reinforce the strategy to reduce waiting times that we have been developing since 2019 throughout the country and attend to emergencies and disasters, both natural and man-made,” said Macaya.
For her part, the United States Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day, emphasized that the donation of this equipment is one more example of how much the United States values its relationship with Costa Rica and how much it values Costa Rica’s commitment to respond to the pandemic.
“In times like the ones we live in, we can only overcome difficulties if we face them together as neighbors, communities and governments. We are with Costa Rica, shoulder to shoulder, in these unprecedented times. We hope that these mobile medical units provide medical attention to all who require it and reinforce the unbreakable alliance between our countries”.
The value of each UMM is US$375,000 dollars, for a grand total of US$1.125 million dollars, a donation made through the Humanitarian Assistance Program of the United States Southern Command.
(QCOSTARICA) A strong earthquake, occurring at 3:51 pm Monday, registering a magnitude of 6.0, according to the Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN) – National Seismological Network – shook much of Costa Rica.
The RSN reported the location of the quake 12 km al Southwest of Jaco, Garabito (9,534 – -84,694), at a depth of 24 km.
The Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (OVSICORI) – Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica – reported the magnitude at 5.97, located 14.9 kilometers southwest of Pochotal, in Garabito.
The origin of the earthquake was by subduction of the Coco plate (surface processes).
The earthquake was felt in Puntarenas, Ciudad Colón, Santa Ana, Paraíso de Cartago, Poás, Montes de Oca, Calle Fallas, Esparza, Escazú, Moravia and Heredia, among others.
There were no reports of injuries or damages.
August 25 update: the earthquake was upgraded to a 6.2 magnitude and lasted about 2 minutes, but only 40 seconds were perceived by the population and is the strongest quake felt so far this year.
(QCOSTARICA) It’s the rainy season. And though we are still days away of September, one of the two wettest months of the season, flooding and landslides have affected some communities.
For this, the Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE) asks to be alert because the soils are saturated with water and are prone to floods or landslides, due to the heavy downpours that began on Thursday with the arrival of tropical wave number 29.
In Guanacaste this Sunday, the CNE reports at least 25 people are being housed in two shelters: one in Liberia with 11 people and another in Santa Cruz with 14, among them children and seniors.
The shelters are complying with all the protocols against COVID-19.
The CNE maintains an orange alert in the Northern Zone, North and Central Pacific, a yellow alert for the South Pacific and the Central Valley, mainly due to the influence of Tropical Storm Marco, and a green alert for the Caribbean.
These alerts are weather-related and not to be confused with the orange and yellow alert zones for COVID-19 restrictions.
The national weather service, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN), reported that the rains are expected to continue in the Central and Southern Pacific.
(QCOSTARICA) Health authorities confirmed that for Sunday, August 23, the country registered 736 new cases of COVID-19, of which 54 are due to epidemiological nexus and 682 due to laboratory, for a total of 33,820 confirmed cases, with an age range of zero to 100 years.
There are 15,699 women and 18,121 men, of which 25,529 are Costa Rican and 8,291 are foreigners.
There are 10,518 people recovered in 80 cantons. The recovered cases have an age range of zero to 96 years, of which 4,708 are women and 5,810 are men.
We are still waiting on the promised corrected update on the recovered after the Ministry of Health admitted that the follow up lagged with the last month’s surge in new cases.
405 people are hospitalized, 131 of them in intensive care with an age range of zero to 94 years.
On Sunday, seven deaths were reported: three men, and four women, with an age range of 44 to 87 years.
In total, the country has accumulated 355 deaths related to COVID-19: 133 women and 222 men, with an age range of 21 to 100 years., the majority of the deceased are seniors.
(QCOSTARICA) In the communities of Desamparados, Coto Brus, Puriscal and the southern zone, the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) maintains 30 schools with only one student.
As its name implies, in single teacher schools, a single teacher attends the small group of students, even if they have different ages and degrees of advancement. The image is from 2018 is the El Alto de Araya school, in Orosi de Cartago.
Those centers had more students, but with the fall in the birth rate and migratory mobilization, their enrollment was left to a single student and they are at risk of closing if it remains at zero, as was with 92 educational centers since 2010.
The case is repeated in another 616 elementary schools that have an enrollment of 10 students or less, which are located in cantons outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) such as Coto Brus, Nicoya, San Carlos, Pérez Zeledón, Puriscal and Puntarenas.
There are also 902 with fewer than 15 students, most of whom are in those same areas of the country.
The Ministry of Education currently has 4,471 educational centers in operation. Primary enrollment, from 2007 to 2020, has fallen by 41,057 students.
Reynaldo Ruiz, director of Institutional Planning of the MEP, said that these single-teacher schools are located in remote geographical areas with difficult access, so students must be guaranteed viability of transportation.
“In some cases, transportation is very scarce in those areas so we cannot risk them walking through complicated routes or rivers, which would be the only way to access those sectors, and put them in danger,” said the official.
Ruiz believes that education at a distance implemented by the pandemic could from now on become the way to serve this population of small schools.
The State of Education report suggested the possibility of grouping single-teacher schools that are less than five kilometers from each other.
A proximity analysis was carried out, which involved calculating the distance between one school and another, and an estimate of coverage radii for each campus. It was done with the purpose of identifying the number of children aged 6 to 12 years in each area of influence.
“It was concluded that about 40% of single-teacher schools (638) are within a radius of less than 1,750 meters, and that in 2016 almost two-thirds of them had ten students or less in an area of influence of 5,000 meters. Knowing the structure of the current network of small centers is a very useful input to undertake the task of improving the quality of educational services,” stated the sixth edition of the report.
According to this analysis, in other places where schools cannot be consolidated, local networks of several nearby single-teacher centers can be formed, through which they seek to optimize the educational service and the use of available resources.
Reynaldo Ruiz confirmed that these strategies are under consideration.
“One of the strategies that will be articulated is the possibility of unifying centers, as long as the conditions allow it,” said the official.
“Dad… when did you first discover that you were OLD?” Boy, I remember that question like it was yesterday… asking my dad, that is.
And I have to preface that by saying that I am 73 now… and no, I don’t feel old… well, most of the time anyway.
But, I remember the exact date when I began thinking that my father was old.
It was his 75th birthday and my sister and I and all of the grandkids had taken he and mom out to dinner.
And it hit me… not only did he look old but he moved SLOOOOW… and his voice was different… and suddenly his skin was wrinkly too.
And then I realized that… eventually … I would be old too.
But I have to tell you about something that my father said to me that not only saved my life … but it will stop me from ever getting old.
True story.
I just turned 30… I had just ruined a marriage to my college sweetheart, was about to lose my newborn son, and had just been fired from my second job…
And despite the fact that I was drinking damn near a quart of the cheapest vodka I could find…
I was still under the delusion that … somehow… I would figure it all out..
I didn’t … and ended up in treatment for alcoholism having been given an ultimatum by my current boss.
And I have to confess that three months before that I had ended up in the tiny country of Gibraltar… not even knowing how I got there.
It took a second session with the treatment center before I finally realized that I had a problem.
I didn’t know what to do with myself… it had been so long that I had been hiding and not dealing with much of anything in my life… I didn’t know what to do.
And I was petrified of failing again.
And I went and talked to my father… for probably the first time in my life.
And he told me something that changed my life… and I still remember what he told me… and I always will.
I told him that I was afraid of failing… because everything I had done had turned to shit.
And I told him I was a failure… and I didn’t know what to do next.
Here is what he told me…
“Everyone is afraid of failing. But if you never take chances in your life and you never take risks… then you have already failed, even before you start.”
I have never forgotten that.
And I have had adventures that I thought were never possible… from gold mining in the mountains of Colorado to several public startups, one a printing company, the others were mining related in Canada, south Dakota, Colorado and Nevada. And I never looked back.
And I owe my life to my father and those words that he passed on to me.
And many of you reading this are either in Costa Rica or dreaming of a life there. And I have been here almost ever since the 9/11 tragedy.
My wife and I joke about it and call it “our last great adventure” because we sold everything we owned and moved to Costa Rica without knowing a soul there.
And we have loved it ever since.
Most of you will never move here… and you will always wonder what “could have been.”
(QCOSTARICA) Though November 1 is still a long way off, December 31 more, the first and last day to pay the 2021 Marchamo, for many it implies a severe headache due to the critical situation that families and companies are going through as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
The annual circulation permit or Marchamo, that includes a property tax on vehicles, must be paid by December 31 of each year.
In Congress, some legislators anticipated the problem that the payment will represent this year for vehicle owners.
Currently, there are three legislative bills that seek to lighten the burden to a greater or lesser extent; two are by PLN legislators Franggi Nicolás and David Gourzong, the third from independent legislator Dragos Dolanescu.
Nicolás proposes to include the transitional article and reform which created the vehicle property tax. Its intention is to reduce the amount of the tax by 20% for all motor vehicles, boats and aircraft.
Nicolás explains in her proposal would a one time only and would not modify other components of the mark such as Compulsory Automotive Insurance (SOA) and the Value Added Tax (VAT ) that is paid in the SOA, or the items that make up the annual Marchamo.
David Gourzong, meanwhile, proposes an exoneration, also for a one time only, from the payment of the vehicle property tax for people who are receiving or have received the Bono Proteger (government aid) created to assist families due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The legislator also proposes that the vehicle ownership tax be reduced by 25% for people who prove that they are unemployed, are working fewer hours, or that they have micro-businesses whose income fell by at least 20% because of the national emergency linked to the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
In addition, the PLN legislator includes in his project a reduction of 25% in the amount destined to the Consejo de Transporte Público that must be paid by businessmen in the tourism sector and those dedicated to transporting tourists, due to the sanitary vehicle restriction in the country since March.
Vehicle owners not circulating with the current Marchamo are exposed to fines and other sanctions that could include the seizure of license plates and vehicle.
Dragos Dolanescu focuses his proposal, also, on the reduction of the vehicle property tax by 50% for the 2021 Marchamo for all owners of motor vehicles, boats and aircraft, without exceptions.
The property tax is the single largest component of the Marchamo and goes straight to the coffers of the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Revenue), and based on the fiscal value of the vehicle, set by Hacienda.
What the legislators say
Franggi Nicolás believes that his bill must be approved because families have not only seen their income deteriorate during 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19, but vehicular traffic fell significantly this year due to the restrictions imposed by the Government to prevent further outbreaks of the deadly viral respiratory disease.
“(…) It is fair, not only in view of the uniqueness of this year, which has implied a clear and evident reduction with respect to driving for this period, but it is also a measure that will allow thousands of homes and companies with vehicle fleets, close the year with economic relief given the economic situation that the country is going through as a result of COVID-19,″ the legislator said in support of her bill.
David Gourzong, for his part, justifies his proposal based on the decision of the Legislative Assembly to approve a reform to the Labor Code to allow the reduction of working hours and wages, as well as the suspension of employment contracts to alleviate the situation of companies affected by the pandemic.
“As a result of all this context of calamity and the multiple months in which their income has been devalued due to not being able to work or a substantial decrease in sales (for business); an important sector of the population is in a pernicious economic situation that makes it impossible to face the basic subsistence burdens that they have usually had to face, such as paying rent for housing, commercial premises, buying food and honoring their debts in general. Now the State must show solidarity, provide solutions and take the necessary measures to support the various aspects in which the population has been affected as a result of the global crisis (…),” said Gourzong.
Dragos Dolanescu emphasized the questioning towards the formula for calculating the Marchamo, the way in which the Government updates the values of vehicles, according to him, subjectively, and due to the “manipulation” that, in his opinion, leads to the excessive collection of property tax on vehicles.
He also stated in the explanatory memorandum for his project that Costa Rica charges the most expensive mark in Central America and, even, more onerous than that charged by some European countries.
“(…) Many of the homes in our country will not receive the Christmas bonus corresponding to this year (due to the high unemployment of 24% that worsened with the pandemic), a very regrettable fact and being, as indicated above, the Aguinaldo, that is usually used by most of the workers to pay the Marchamo, it is very likely then that due to the economic precariousness of the homes and the drainage of resources they have suffered, that this year the delinquency will increase and this confiscatory tax will not be paid,” argues Dolanescu.
Overview
So far this month of August – in extraordinary sessions, during which the Presidency controls the agenda of issues discussed by legislators – none of the bills has had any movement in the Legislative Assembly, as the Executive Power is opposed to any proposal to reduce the Marchamo, with the argument that a decision in that sense would further widen the fiscal deficit of the Central Government.
The property tax is the single largest component of the Marchamo
The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) estimates that this year the gap between the government’s income and current expenditures will be greater than 11% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP); The Ministry of Finance, meanwhile, estimates that the size of the gap in its finances would be of the order of 9.7% of GDP. In any case, the country has not seen such high levels of fiscal deficit in many decades.
The Minister of Finance, Elian Villegas, affirmed at the end of July that the Marchamo is a “fair tax” and that “it makes no sense” to reduce it in the midst of the crisis facing the country.
In addition, he opined against the proposals that are based on the argument of the reduction of the time of circulation of the vehicles this year, which he considered as a “conceptual error” because, in his opinion, the tax is not charged on the effective use vehicle.
During an open discussion that he held through social networks, President Carlos Alvarado ruled out that his government supports any proposal to cut a percentage of the Marcahmo to help families and companies cope with the dire economic situation.
“On the issue of the Marchamo, I know that relief would be desired. But, as the same Minister of Finance (Elian Villegas) has said, taking away this type of income is to undress a saint to dress another. Because those monies, anyway, are allocated for things that are in support of the country. This is one of the most complex situations we have in terms of public resources (…),” justified Alvarado.
The CGR also turned on the warning lights on bills to reduce the cost of the Marchamo this year, sending legislators in mid-July two criteria in which it underlined the dangers involved given the government’s fragile fiscal situation.
In the opinion of the CGR, the tax on vehicle ownership will be reduced this year, among other reasons, because inflation has a downward effect in the current economic situation, as in June the indicator was at a -0.24%.
If, on top of this, legislators approved the exemptions, the CGR pointed out, the bills would contribute to worsening the country’s fiscal situation.
Despite the Government’s refusal to give up on the income of the Marchamo, legislators of various fractions announced that as of September, when they regain control over the legislative agenda, they will restart the processing of the bills, which are currently stalled in the Tax Affairs Commission.
The 2019 government take for the Marchamo is estimated at ¢250 billion colones. The Treasury alleges that half of the income from the tax goes to the National Highway Council (Conavi), which is in charge of maintaining the roads, and the other half goes to the general government coffers to pay expenses.
(QCOSTARICA) The Dirección de Migración y Extranjería (DGME) – Costa Rica’s immigration service – reported that they are maintaining controls to monitor the caravan of migrants, mostly Haitians, who are moving towards Peñas Blancas.
The institution alleges that this population has been warned to the risks of this trip, since the route is dangerous, with high-speed traffic, traveling with children and babies, exposing their lives, the exposure to COVID-19, as well as the impossibility of crossing the border, since they are closed in the region.
These migrants entered the country in the first months of 2020, through the controlled flow coordinated with Panama. They remained in the CATEM Sur (Temporary Attention Center for Migrants).
However, last Thursday they decided to leave that site to continue, according to them, on their way to the United States in search of the American dream.
The national police have indicated that they will not be allowed to leave the country because Nicaragua has the border closed to migrants.
The Daniel Oduber Airport in Guanacaste will have equipment that allows taking the temperature of the passengers. Photo: Courtesy of Coriport
(QCOSTARICA) Daniel Oduber Airport (LIR), in Liberia, Guanacaste, became the third terminal in the world this Friday with the ACI Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the sanitary measures adopted at the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste is the temperature taking of arriving and departing passengers. Photo: Courtesy of Coriport
The airports of Los Cabos, Mexico and Istanbul, Turkey, are the first two to have received this recognition.
Airports Council International (ACI)’s Airport Health Accreditation program recognizes the commitment to health and welfare of passengers, airport staff and the public, by supporting airports assessing the new health measures and procedures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force (CART) recommendations and in alignment with the joint EASA and ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol and ACI EUROPE’s Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience at Airports.
The Guanacaste terminal receives that accreditation days before it restarts commercial flights since its closure due to the pandemic, on March 18.
On September 5, the Liberia airport is scheduled to receive the first arrivals from Newark, New Jersey (EWR).
The airport operator, Coriport, confirmed that the United flight will be weekly and that on October 6, Air Canada will make its first re-appearance from Toronto, Canada.
Last Wednesday, the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura, announced that starting in September, Costa Rica will allow commercial flights from New York’s JFK and La Guardia and New Jersey’s Newark airport with residents from six states, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut.
On August 1, Costa Rica authorized flights from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union to the San Jose (SJO) airport, keeping the Liberia airport inactive, since most of the flights to the Guanacaste airport come from the United States.
“Without a doubt, this accreditation is one more example to the world that the doors of Guanacaste and Costa Rica are open, and they can come with all the confidence that their passage through the airport is carefully monitored,” said Coriport manager, César Jaramillo
The director of ACI for Latin America, Rafael Echevarne, affirmed that the voluntary accreditation process has the main objective of restoring the confidence of travelers in airports, at a time when the virus continues to spread around the world.
“The impact of the pandemic has been devastating for the economies of our countries and the reactivation of air transport is essential for economic recovery. The AHA program will help restore passenger confidence in air travel, ”Echevarne said.
Costa Rica’s entry protocol for foreigners
Costa Rica applies a rigorous entry protocol for foreigners who visit the country.
They must present a COVID-19 test carried out 48 hours before the trip and with a negative result; In addition, they must pay for health insurance (from abroad or purchased locally) that covers accommodation and medical expenses in case of illness, as well as fill out a health form.
U.S. citizens arriving from JFK, La Guardia and Newark airports must also certify, by way of their driver’s license, that they reside in the states considered safe by the Costa Rican health authorities.
(Scientific American) With the economy tanking, unemployment skyrocketing, schools slamming their doors and the Big Ten and PAC-12 conferences canceling fall football, America is a country looking for an answer to COVID-19 yesterday. And one might be available—if you can handle instant coffee rather than espresso.
(Lighter Side) Ever wondered why are there now fewer earthquakes in Costa Rica?
Because due to the pandemic there is not a single day in which the MOPT allows the circulation of all vehicles.
This is priceless from Marino Protti, Costa Rica’s resident seismologist and researcher at the (OVSICORI), an interdisciplinary research institute of the Universidad Nacional (UNA).
Vaccine against covid would be applied in the country in the second half of 2021
(QCOSTARICA) Currently, there are more than 200 investigations that intend to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, in different stages. Few are in phase II or the most advanced, phase III clinical trials. There is no guarantee of success for any.
President Carlos Alvarado announced that there will be a reserve in the upcoming budget for the purchase of the COVID vaccine
On Friday, Costa Rica President, Carlos Alvarado, assured that country is making sure has access to a possible vaccine, through maintaining contact with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and with different pharmaceutical companies.
Alvarado announced that an amount will be allocated to guarantee access to a vaccine is being included in the upcoming extraordinary budget, though he did not detail the amount.
Also on Friday, it was learned that the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) will grant Costa Rica a loan of US$50 million to acquire the vaccine.
The executive president of the CABEI, Dante Mossi, said that they are holding negotiations with the PAHO in order to define the upfront payment to reserve the immunizer lots.
“Our board of directors ordered us to find out how we can help countries finance the purchase of vaccines; So we already have very advanced conversations with PAHO. We are estimating US$50 million being prudent, because today we do not know many things. We don’t know how much each vaccine costs and we don’t know how many people require it,” he explained.
Mossi added there are talks with the Costa Rican government to manage a loan, facilitated by South Korea, to support the finances of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).
“The Government of South Korea made an extremely soft line of credit available for everything related to health; Therefore, there is an intention of the Government of Costa Rica to support the Caja financially. I understand that there is a historical debt that they want to work on, so we are in talks with the Government on how to support this process,” he said.
President Alvarado on Friday declared that an inter-institutional commission was established to guarantee that the Costa Rican population has quick and timely access to the drug once it is approved and can be distributed.
According to the government,
Until this Friday, August 21, no vaccine had been put on the market, but according to the president contacts has been made with Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and Sinovac, to avoid “being last in the access line” and new contacts are being sought with other governments and developer companies to analyze more options.
Vaccine in 2021
Juan José Romero, an epidemiologist at the Universidad Nacional (UNA), commented that at least three vaccine developments (that of the University of Oxford with the AstraZeneca laboratory; the Modern American and a Chinese one) are the closest to completing phase three. The expert ruled out the Russian because it skipped development phases and has little credibility.
“They have announced that for September or October (of this year) they are finalizing the data collection to process the information and eventually begin the registration and patenting process at the end of the year. Production would start in early 2021, if all goes well.
“It is probable that the Government is considering this reserve for the purchase of vaccines during the first half of next year and the application will probably begin in the second half. For all that the development, production and distribution of vaccines implies, it is very difficult to think that before July or August of next year Costa Rica will have vaccines,” said the expert.
Romero is aware that everyone will want to be immunized, but while the global vaccine coalition aims to ensure equitable access, manufacturing countries are likely to stock first.
“It is very appropriate to think from now on economic reserves for the purchase of vaccines, but also on carrying out diplomacy work to have access to a quantity of vaccines that allows covering people who have to be vaccinated as a priority, such as those who are in the first line of defense against COVID (CCSS personnel, firefighters, Red Cross, Ministry of Health, Police) and people with risk factors, starting with the elderly.
“It would be good to have a million doses, but I don’t think we will have it in the first phase. To think that in Costa Rica we are all going to be vaccinated next year is unlikely, but perhaps the population with the highest priority will be,” commented the epidemiologist.
Planning ahead
The idea of putting money aside for vaccines from now on is to avoid being last in line, as high global demand could generate unprecedented international competition.
It is not known how much it will cost and it is very likely that companies will ask for an advance, but to be prepared, estimates will most likely be made with the highest prices.
For that, the Ministry of Health, the CCSS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finance coordinate efforts to analyze technically, legally and budgetarily the way in which Costa Rica would buy the vaccine.
(QCOSTARICA) The Ministry of Health of Costa Rica reported Saturday afternoon 950 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, found in 67 of the 82 cantons, for a total of 33,084 since the first case on March 06.
Of the 950, 777 were from PCR tests and 173 by nexus of epidemiological link.
The number of deaths reported Saturday was 8, six men, and two women, with an age range of 51 to 97 years.
Hospitalized are 386, of which 131 are in Intensive Care Units (ICU).
The driver of the pickup, who was trapped in the vehicle, for some time survived the head-on crash and taken to hospital in stable condition
[HQ] The driver of a pick-up walked away with injuries after crashing head-on with cattle ruck on the bridge over the Parrita river.
The driver of the pickup, who was trapped in the vehicle, for some time survived the head-on crash and taken to hospital in stable condition
The driver, identified by his last name Mora, despite his being trapped in the twisted metal, was taken to local hospital in stable condition. The driver of the cattle truck was unhurt.
The crash occurred at 7:49 pm Friday, August 21, both vehicles ending up in the middle of the so-called collided against Grande de Parrita bridge, Puntarenas
The reason for the crash is still under investigation, Johnny Mora, the Transito (traffic) official on scene was surprised that Mora (the driver) survived the crash that usually results in fatalities.
For the traffic official, the make and model of the pickup save the man’s life.
The driver of the catlle truck was not injured in the spectacular crash on the Parrita river bridge Friday night
“I think that this man who was injured what really saved his life was the pickup that he was driving, because it is a fairly strong vehicle, if it had been another type of vehicle, I don’t know if the same thing would have happened, rather than all because of the violence of the crash,” explained the uniformed official.
“At the moment it has not been determined how the accident occurred because in the place I did not find braking skids that would allow me to establish a dynamics of the accident, I just found the two vehicles crossed,” explained Mora.
The officer said that after making a sketch of the accident, he went to Parrita’s clinic to ask about the driver’s state of health and there they informed him that Mora arrived in stable condition and was later taken to the Max Terán hospital in Quepos.
(QCOSTARICA) The National Emergency Commission (CNE) on Friday night raised the status of alerts in several regions of the country due to the arrival of tropical storm Marco, which could generate an increase in rainfall during the night and early morning.
Alert map for tropical depression 14 affecting the country. The map is NOT to be confused with the COVID-19 alerts.
The North and Central Pacific, as well as the Northern zone, went from yellow to orange alert. This is because on Friday afternoon several floods were reported, mainly in Paquera de Puntarenas and Santa Cruz de Guanacaste.
In addition, the alert status in the Central Valley and Cartago was raised from green to yellow, the area experiencing not only afternoon rains, but also through the night in some areas.
The CNE indicated that the Caribbean region was on a preventive green alert, but advised people living in areas prone to floods or landslides to remain vigilant.
The president of the CNE, Alexander Solís, announced that they are ready to take the necessary precautions in case of activating the emergency system and setting up shelters in the most affected areas.
Tropical depression number 14 that formed in the Caribbean on Thursday and that this Friday night became a tropical storm, generated 10 flood incidents in Upala, one in Bagaces and several landslides in Golfito.
This storm is located northeast of the coasts of Honduras and its associated bands are going to generate heavy downpours over the weekend in our country.
The phenomenon moves towards the northwest at an approximate speed of 20 km/h, and the accompanying winds have caused the intertropical convergence zone to create quite unstable atmospheric conditions in our country.
[HQ] The country’s cinemas will continue to be closed, given the impossibility of giving continuity to the business after the situation in the country.
Open one week, closed the next, open again and not knowing if the week after can be opened, is not good for the business and its workers explained Daniel Quirós, the representative of the Chamber of Cinematographic Exhibitors and Distributors of Costa Rica.
“In this opening phase the cinemas will not open, the business needs continuity to be profitable. It is impossible to open a week when the next one will be uncertain,” said Quirós.
Quirós added that although greater amplitude is allowed, for this business weekends are essential.
(QCOSTARICA) Faced with the economic ravages generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Grupo Extra decides to shut down La Prensa Libre, a news publication with more than a 100-year history in Costa Rica
For my father, it was better to pay someone to have a job than for him to amass a fortune,” Iary Gómez, General Manager of Grupo Extra.
The La Prensa Libre served Costa Rican society for 131 years, for the last two the publication did all it could to survive, to move forward.
In the 1980s, La Prensa Libre was purchased by the Grupo Extra, finding it extremely difficult to change the structure of the medium since its audience was conservative and the newspaper had not kept up with changes in the public.
La Prensa Libre had renowned journalists and played a key role in the 20th century to inform all Costa Ricans at times when communication was difficult to access. But times changed. The many attempts made were poorly received by the readers and did not grab the attention of new audiences.
“It was never a profit-making newspaper, and it was always subsidized by Diario Extra, but it was better for my father to pay someone to have a job than to store a fortune. For my father, it was better to pay someone to have a job than for him to amass a fortune,” said Iary Gómez, General Manager of Grupo Extra.
“For me, it was painful to make the decision to close what was a passion for my father, but one has to take administrative measures that are thoroughly known to be inevitable. From Grupo Extra, we will continue to strengthen ourselves and seek new alternatives for the tastes of our clients,” said Iary Gómez.
(QCOSTARICA) It’s Saturday, August 22, the day that the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) – orange alert area – is out of the ‘closed phase” of August, and for the next 9 days returning to the opening phase, one day after the single-day record number of infections.
Vehicle restrictions measures starting this Saturday are unified in orange and yellow alert zones; the opening of commercial establishments will be differentiated
On Friday, the Ministry of Health reported 1,059 new patients in a day, of which 866 (82%) are people who tested positive in PCR tests, while 193 (18%) are due to epidemiological nexus, that is, individuals who have symptoms and live under the same roof as a confirmed case.
The accumulated since March 6, when the health emergency began, is 32,134, in the 82 cantons. On Friday, 12 new deaths were reported, for a total since the first death by COVID-19 on March 18, of 340.
For the 9 days (to August 30), the measures of the orange alert areas are relaxed for commercial activity and vehicular restrictions.
Vehicular restrictions
Starting today, August 22, from 5 am to 7 pm, in both orange and yellow alert areas, the vehicles with even ending license plates (0, 2, 4, 6 & 8) are restricted from circulating; on Sunday odd-numbered ending plates (1,3,5,7, & 9) are restricted.
From Mondays to Fridays, from 5 am to 9 pm, restricted from circulating are two plates daily:
Mondays, vehicles with license plates ending in 1 & 2 cannot circulate.
Tuesdays, vehicles with license plates ending in 3 & 4 cannot circulate.
Wednesdays, vehicles with license plates ending in 5 & 6 cannot circulate.
Thursdays, vehicles with license plates ending in 7 & 8 cannot circulate.
Fridays, vehicles with license plates ending in 9 & 0 cannot circulate.
A complete and total vehicular restriction applies between 7 pm and 5 am on weekends and 9 pm and 5 am on weekdays.
Driving outside what is permitted is based on well-known exemptions in place since April, such as emergency vehicles, moving to and from work with a valid employment letter, going to or coming from a hotel with proper documented reservation, an emergency situation like taking someone to a hospital, a doctor’s or vet’s appointment and others.
In the case of commercial establishments, the differentiated measures are maintained according to orange or yellow alert.
For example, in cantons with an orange alert, restaurants, beauty salons and gyms may be open from Monday to Friday until 9 pm and on weekends until 7 pm with a capacity of 50%.
In the orange cantons, the beaches can be visited from 5 am to 9:30 am
Meanwhile, in the cantons with a yellow alert, establishments with a health permit for customer service may open regularly and continue reopening phase III from Monday to Sunday; These retail shops, restaurants, and gyms, with a capacity of up to 50%, places of worship with up to 75 people and hotels at 100% capacity.
In addition, access to the beaches of yellow cantons remains enabled from 5 am to 2 pm every day.
Here you can find the list of authorized establishments according to the alert (in Spanish).
What is NOT authorized, in both orange and yellow alert areas are: Bars, Casinos, Concerts, Public shows, Fairgrounds, Bullfighting activities, Sports events, and much more. See the complete list here.
Cantons on orange alert
Alajuelita
Aserri
Curridabat
Tibás
Desamparados (except districts specified in yellow alert)
Escazú
Goicoechea
Puriscal
San Jose
Saint Ana
Alajuela (except the Sarapiquí district)
Narango
La Union
Belen
Flores
Heredia (districts Heredia, Mercedes, San Francisco, Ulloa)
San Isidro
San Pablo
Santo Domingo
Corredores (Canoas, La Cuesta, Laurel districts)
For September
On Friday, President Carlos Alvarado, during the noon press conference said that we will learn next week the measures that will govern during the month of September.
(QCOSTARICA) The Ministry of Health reported Friday afternoon 1,059 new cases of the COVID-19 in Costa Rica, the highest single-day number, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 32,134.
Also reported were 12 deaths, the total now 340.
The number of hospitalized reported was 403 people, 124 of which are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Recovered so far are 10,159 people. That number is expected to grow sharply following the promise earlier in the week from the interim Minister of Health to catch up on the followed of patients.
(QCOSTARICA) The announcement that Americans from six states will be allowed in is a good sign for Costa Rica’s devastated tourism sector.
“It is a step in the correct decision, understanding that the United States represents the majority of tourists who visit us,” said Rubén Acón, president of the Chamber of Tourism (Canatur). Photo montage La República
Although Costa Rica has gradually opened air borders, allowing commercial flights from Canada, the UK, and the European Union since August 1, allowing the entry of residents from New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut in September may be more significant for national tourism.
This not only because the United States represents 53% of the tourists that enter Costa Rica, but because it will allow the reactivation of the U.S. airlines in that have been waiting for an announcement of this type.
American, Southwest, Alaska, United and Spirit airlines are currently processing operating permits to reactivate the flights to and from Costa Rica, according to the Dirección General de Aviación Civil – Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation.
Volaris, of Mexican origin but which also operates flights in the United States, also is has submitted a request for a permit.
The decision to allow the U.S. airlines to resume commercial flights to the country would also activate the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia (LIR), an airport that is open for business but no airlines permitted to fly into, with at least two weekly flights in September, declared Gustavo Segura, Minister of Tourism.
For the Juan Santamaría (SJO) in San Jose, there would be four additional flights per week in the first days of September.
The opening of Texas, California, Illinois, and Florida, states with a significant load of tourists for Costa Rica, is what tourism entrepreneurs hope to further strengthen the sector, explained Rubén Acón, president of the Chamber of Tourism (Canatur).
The arrival of Canadians in September via Air Canada is another oxygen tank. Though, for now, Canada’s air carriers, Air Canada and WestJet has so far canceled flights for September, with an eye in October,
Receiving tourists from more and more destinations is a good sign.
The current flow- 2 to 3 commercial flights (not counting repatriation flights) a week from Spain and Germany is not enough to boost tourism.
Although official numbers are not available, in the first 21 days of the month, according to Canatur calculations, an estimated 1,500 tourists arrived on Lufthansa and Iberia flights,
Last year, 2.4 million tourists arrived in the country at both international airports.
The gradual opening of the air borders to Americans is a positive, leaders in the tourism leaders agree.
One of those is Ruben Acón, who said: “It is a step in the correct decision, understanding that the United States represents the majority of the tourists that visit us. Although there is still a fear of international tourism, the timely management that has been done at the airport has made entry from more countries more flexible.”
Sary Valverde, Chairwoman Association of Travel Agencies, said “Any route that is opened gives positive signals, in the sense that it favors the planning, the promotion of the destination and the confidence of the consumer. We can’t talk about recovery yet, but it’s definitely a lifeline”.
Pre-pandemic, most of the U.S. airlines had multiple flights daily into Costa Rica’s international airports, adding more frequency during the high tourist season and holiday periods.
Tourists arrived daily both at the San Jose and Liberia airports on direct flights from destinations such as New York (JFK & LGA), New Jersey (EWRS), Philadelphia (PHL), Baltimore (BWI), Miami (MIA), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Houston (IAH), Dallas-Fortworth (DFW), Atlanta (ATL), Chicago (ORD) and Los Angeles (LAX), among others.
According to Johns Hopkins University the situation with respect to Covid-19 of the states that will have authorization to enter Costa Rica, the new daily cases on August 20, were:
The Grupo Nacion and the government inked an agreement that would add ¢150 million colones to the cost of the electric train to reach the Grupo’s Parque Viva.
“We drove into the bay with our boat, ready to surf and as we got closer we saw a jaguar sitting on the beach watching the ocean. After a few moments of disbelief Sarah got into the water and I managed to get a picture of her and the jaguar.
“Afterwards we all jumped in and got to enjoy a few very special minutes surfing with this beautiful animal just sitting there. Unforgettable experience that makes me feel so greatful to be able to share our beautiful planet with such incredible beings✨🌿🐆.”
—
Photos by: @lea.annah
Surfer: @sarahkamalan
puravidaecolodge commented: “the benefits of lockdown and travel restrictions in Costa Rica – beautiful moment capture.”
(QCOSTARICA) Two men could end up spending from three to six years in jail for touching the buttocks of a female cyclist while she was pedaling on her way to the gym.
According to the police report the sexual abuse of the cyclist occurred in San Ramon last Monday morning, when the woman was pedaling through the Bajo Rodríguez area, in Peñas Blancas de San Ramón.
In the video that circulated the social networks and allowing the investigators to identify the alleged offenders, the driver of the vehicle slows down to match the speed of the cyclist, while the passenger sticks out from the window and proceeds to touch the athlete’s buttocks.
According to Pablo Calvo, head of the San Ramón OIJ, the young men were identified, one surnamed Marín Arias and another surnamed Castro López, both 20 years old.
“These two subjects are linked to the fact that happened on Monday 17 of this month, when one of the alleged offenders touched the buttocks of a female who was about to arrive at a gym in the Bajo Rodríguez sector. When the female is on her way to the gym, she perceives that she is being followed and at a certain moment she feels that one of the subjects, from a vehicle, passes by and touches her buttocks,” Calvo explained.
The men were arrested at 4:00 pm Thursday when they were about to enter the supermarket they worked at, one, identified by his last name Marí, in Cuidad Quesada, the other, Castro, in Los Angeles de la Fortuna.
Article 162 of the Código Penal (Penal Code) establishes penalties of three to six years in prison when the perpetrator of the sexual abuse “takes advantage of the vulnerability of the offended person, or he is unable to resist or bodily violence or intimidation is used.”
(QCOSTARICA) The contagion rate of COVID-19 in Costa Rica remains oscillating at levels very similar to those of a week ago, according to which each person with the virus would infect 1.1 more people, or, in other words, 10 carriers could infect 11 other.
These are the estimates published by the Central American Population Center of the University of Costa Rica (CCP-UCR) this Wednesday night on its website.
The contagion rate, also called the R rate, indicates how many people each patient could infect, on average.
If it is equal to 1, each person will make another person sick on average, and this will keep the infection constant. If it is at 2, on average each person will make two more sick and the transmission speed will double.
Ideally, therefore, this is less than 1, which is a sign that the rate of new cases is decreasing.
The analysis for this August 20, using the data of August 19 based on the infections that occurred approximately on August 13, given that the incubation period of the virus (time that elapses between infection and first symptoms) on average is in 6 days.
This number is very similar to last week when an average close to 1.1 was also established.
According to the CCP-UCR specialists, Costa Rica was at a critical moment at the end of June, when it was more than 1.7.
Subsequently, the recommendation of the use of masks drove it downwards and reached a value of 1 at the end of July.
“It coincided (the drop in the rate) with the health order to use masks in public places as of June 27 and with the mobility and grouping restrictions that were especially tightened from July 11 to 19, on applying the political ‘hammer’.
“Although it is not possible to unequivocally establish a cause-effect relationship, the coincidence is highly suggestive that these interventions had an impact,” the document cites.
For specialists, the second phase of the “hammer” policy (which runs from August 10 to 21) could also impact the R rate downward.
“The most recent data hint at a possible drop in response to the second wave of restrictions established as of August 10. In the next few days, we will see if this desired impact becomes more evident ”, highlights the CCP-UCR report.
The analysis compares Costa Rica with other countries in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the state of Florida in the United States, the latter was considered due to its similar cultural characteristics with the Latin American region.
At this time, our country, with 1.12, has the fourth-highest rate, after Paraguay (1.58), Spain (1.28) and Peru (1.18). Florida has the lowest rate with 0.71, followed by El Salvador with 0.81 and the Dominican Republic with 0.88.
Possibles scenarios
The CCP researchers indicate that R is a highly volatile factor and can undergo large changes in a matter of a few days.
For this reason, they work with possible scenarios of what would happen if the current trend continues and what would happen in a more optimistic context if the rate falls, or more pessimistic if the rate rises.
If the rate is maintained, the rate will be constant and the number of daily cases will not grow, or it will grow very slowly, but this does not mean that there is no pressure on the health system, which has been hit hard since mid-June.
“If the country stagnates at the 1.1 rate, within a month we will have reports of around 1,400 daily cases. This number is almost double the current average and could exceed the hospital care capacity of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) (…) With these numbers, it would not be possible for the country to regain the traceability of the cases with adequate tracing-testing”, indicates the analysis.
In scenario 2, or the optimistic one, the R rate returns to the downward trend that it had in July and reaches a value of 0.8 in four weeks.
So, the outlook for the coming month would be of a moderate decrease in the number of new cases that would reach 580 a day on September 19.
However, even in this scenario, caution must be exercised.
“This figure continues to be problematic, both due to the pressure on hospital services and because it continues to exceed the country’s capacities for optimal tracking and testing of contacts to contain the outbreak,” the report acknowledges.
And: “we believe that a comfortable situation of optimal traceability of cases and containment of the outbreak will only be achieved if the number of new daily cases remains below 100 (as before June 20).”
Scenario 3, or pessimistic, does demand even more efforts from decision-makers, but also from the entire population.
If the rate rises to 1.5, there would be an exponential growth and by September 19 there would be 3,000 cases per day.
According to the CCP-UCR, this could occur if people stop wearing masks (or misuse them) or if opening measures are relaxed.
