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Daniel Ortega’s negligence spreads the covid-19 in Nicaragua

By
Q24N
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(TODAY NICARAGUA) Gregorio could not say goodbye to his father. When he found out that he was dead, men uniformed from head to toe in a white waterproof jumpsuit and face masks were already burying him in the northern cemetery of the city of Masaya, on the morning of Monday, May 11.

Political marches, massive activities, boxing evenings and attacks by the president on the # QuédateEnCasa campaign. This is how covid-19 is lived in the country

No one from the family was present at the funeral.

Doctors from the local hospital Dr. Humberto Alvarado only informed them that he died of “atypical pneumonia” and that the directive of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) was to bury him “immediately”.

The last time this 30-year-old man saw his father was on Friday, May 8, when he entered the emergency room with severe chest pain and a dry cough, the best-known symptoms of covid-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, in the hospital they were hardly told: “Apparently, he has pneumonia.”

The case of Gregorio’s father, which could be unusual, is not unique in Nicaragua. Since the first week of May, dozens of anonymous videos and testimonies report semi-clandestine burials or those without relatives, some in the evening or early morning hours. All coffins are hermetically sealed. The cities of Masaya (in Suroriente) and Chinandega (in the West), are where more burials of this type have been seen.

Dozens of relatives have pointed out that the epicrisis of their relatives showed death due to “atypical pneumonia” or “severe pneumonia”, which would not be an impediment to keeping them awake at home, as is the tradition in Nicaragua.

For this reason, the government order to “immediately” bury the dead due to “pneumonia” and other chronic conditions, sets off alarms among Nicaraguan doctors, who consider that the Government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo is trying to minimize the severity of the covid pandemic. -19.

Government silence on the covid-19

On Tuesday, May 5, the Minsa stopped providing its daily report on the situation of covid-19 in Nicaragua. That day – more than a month and a half after the confirmation of the first positive case of coronavirus -, the Secretary-General for Health, Carlos Sáenz, said that Nicaragua maintained four active cases and five died, accumulating 16 confirmed cases since March 18. The rest of the week there was no other official report.

Saenz reappeared seven days later before the cameras of the official media, the only ones who have access to the Minsa press conference on a subject of national interest. The official reported nine new cases of covid-19 and admitted three other deaths from the pandemic.

“There were other deaths of people who have been followed up, caused by pulmonary thromboembolism, diabetes mellitus, acute myocardial infarction, hypertensive crisis and bacterial pneumonia,” said Sáenz, without specifying the exact number of deaths, who have been buried immediately. , like Gregorio’s father.

The silence on the state of the pandemic is holy and sign of the Government of Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega spent 34 days – between March 12 and April 15 – without appearing in public, sheltered in his home and office in the El Carmen neighborhood, a kind of walled citadel and guarded by dozens of police, who control a multi-block circuit, including a park and surrounding streets.

On the 34th day, Ortega reappeared on a national television channel to speak from his bunker about the covid-19. “Here (in Nicaragua) if you stop working, the country dies, and if the country dies, the people die, it dies out,” said Ortega to attack the # QuédateEnCasa civic campaign and defend the role of his Administration against to the pandemic. The response has been criticized by national and international organizations and experts. The unanimous balance is that the regime puts the health of the population at risk.

Nicaragua is the only country in Latin America that has not officially closed its borders, maintains in-person classes for primary and secondary public education, and promotes mass activities, such as a free entry boxing evening that was held in the capital, the Saturday, April 25, while the sports world is on hiatus due to the coronavirus.

Nicaragua, the country of the unusual

“Nicaragua makes a global milestone a reality: we are the only country with a live sports event!” Repeated the official entertainer of the evening: a boxing card broadcast by the ESPN KnockOut program on the ESPN Latin America network. Activity in the midst of a pandemic once again placed Nicaragua on the radar of the international press.

The news that transcends from this country of six million inhabitants are the unusual acts against the covid-19: the absence of the president in the midst of a pandemic; a walk of “Love in the times of the covid-19” with the participation of “brigadistas” who then went home to home, visiting “more than 350,000 homes”; and the call for all kinds of sports, tourism and cultural activities, which on the second weekend of May totaled 2,500, as confirmed by Vice President Rosario Murillo, Ortega’s wife and official spokesperson.

Appointed by her husband since the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) returned to the Presidency in 2007, Murillo has imposed an “uncontaminated information strategy”: everything the Government does and says goes through her soliloquy of at least one hour a day. The guideline has not changed in the face of the pandemic and rather the information has been centralized to the extreme.

The Government has also been deaf to calls from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). “We are concerned about the lack of social distancing, the call for agglomerations. We are concerned with testing (from covid-19), contact tracking, and case reporting. We are also concerned about what we see as inadequate in terms of infection control and prevention, ”said Carissa Etienne, director of the agency, in early April, despite the fact that the official has been identified as close to the regime.

In the days that followed, nothing has stopped Murillo from continuing to call for mass activities. “This is how we are and this is how we go, invoking God our Lord every day, and working hard to advance. Peasant markets throughout the country; Corn House, Concert; Yard Production and Technologies, in Plaza 22 de Agosto is presented this Weekend, and there are a number of Food Fairs and Festivals throughout the country (sic.), ”Said the spokeswoman on May 14, after reciting, during his monologue, verses by the poet Manolo Cuadra.

The reality hit of covid-19 in Nicaragua

A Protocol for the Preparation and Response to the Risk of Introduction of the Coronavirus in Nicaragua, prepared by the Minsa, calculated in February that the country would have 32,500 affected by covid-19, and of these 8125 would be seriously ill. “If we take as reference the lethality of 2.5% of those infected, we could have 813 deaths. The deceased are 80% of the patients that require an Intensive Care Unit, ”admitted the Minsa in the protocol revealed in early March by Confidencial.

Two months later, the Government recognized 25 positive cases and eight died, placing Nicaragua in the queue of infections in Central America, but at the top in the percentage of deaths. Thus, still limited to these official data: more than 30% of covid-19 patients died in Nicaragua, being the country with the highest case fatality rate.

A week later, in the weekly Minsa report, cases increased by 1016%, going from 25 to 279 positive cases. The dead, despite reports of “express burials”, such as that of Gregorio’s father, rose from eight to 17.

Official information is scarce. On April 27, the secretary general of Minsa read a statement on television in less than a minute. Active cases: three. People / contacts in follow-up: anyone who deserves it. We do not have local community transmission. We continue to work with respect, patience, prudence and infinite thanks to God our Lord, ”he said briefly.

Government figures are also widely questioned. The Nicaraguan Medical Association, which brings together hundreds of health professionals, has criticized “the unclear way in which statistical reports in relation to the incidence and progression of the pandemic have been handled in Nicaragua.” The country does not know either the number of covid-19 tests carried out, nor the results thereof, which are centralized by the Minsa.

The same PAHO admitted in late April that it does not have “data to make an evaluation” on the situation of covid-19 in the country, according to the deputy director, Jarbas Barbosa da Silva. “They are not reporting the truth, nor the true results of the tests carried out in the laboratory of the National Center for Diagnosis and Reference (CNDR),” a source linked to the Government, who has learned of the results of the tests of the government, told Confidencial. “Conchita” Palacios National Health Complex, headquarters of the Minsa, where the test is centralized.

Three sources linked to the Ministry of Health with partial or total access to the CNDR tests agreed in an investigation of this medium that “the official reports are made up by political criteria”. “Some 5,900 tests have been processed, of which 4300 were negative, and 1600 positive,” for a contagion rate of 27%. “With this trend, thousands of daily tests should be carried out throughout the national territory, to know the true dimension of the pandemic and, above all, the circulation of asymptomatic cases,” added a source from the Minsa.

The Government, however, ignores PAHO’s requirements and the call to make the data from the covid-19 tests transparent, and so far continues without explicitly admitting that the country has entered the community transmission phase, which the exponential increase in cases precedes and the eventual collapse of the precarious hospital system. Nicaragua has less than 6,000 hospital beds and only 160 ventilators, which as of March this year, according to medical sources, were 80% used by patients with other pathologies.

In the absence of official information, a self-convened multidisciplinary group created the COVID-19 Citizen Observatory in early April, which reports the progress of the pandemic, based on complaints from the population.

Until May 22 – the date of its most recent report – the Citizen Observatory registered eight times more cases than those recognized by the Government, with a cumulative of 2323 suspected infections. This figure includes 465 deaths, presumably from covid-19 (404), according to the doctors who collaborate with the Observatory, or from some type of pneumonia (61), such as the one that the Minsa affirms that it killed Gregorio’s father, in Masaya.

The figure also includes no less than 180 doctors and Health personnel who have presented symptoms associated with covid-19. Despite being on the “front line” against the pandemic, until mid-April the government prohibited the use of masks, gloves or gel alcohol among hospital staff “so as not to alarm” the population.

“They said that everything was fine, that there were few cases, and that if we used face masks we were going to alarm people,” said Graciela, a doctor who has been working for Minsa for more than a decade.

“They are exposing all medical personnel,” claimed Dr. José Antonio Vásquez, a member of the Nicaraguan Medical Unit (UMN), a union organization of doctors from the public and private sectors. “This,” he added, “happens at the level of health centers, where the population with suspicious symptoms of coronavirus is also cared for, and in large city hospitals. It is something that is being repeated in all health units. ”

Despite the fact that the Ortega Government has made its own reality about the pandemic, and is going in the opposite direction to the international recommendations to prevent contagions, the alarms continue to go off.

The independent Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (Funides) warned in an April report that, if the government does not establish prevention measures, in mid-June there will be 119,703 infected and at least 650 deaths from covid-19 in this Central American country.

“Ortega’s speech is criminal,” said the former Minister of Health, Dora María Téllez. “It is no longer simply negligence, but a deliberate action that puts the health of the population at risk. When Ortega, who has a voice of authority, says that nothing is going to happen, there are people who simply, within their humility, believe him.

A “family” health model

The Ortega y Murillo government has based its strategy to fight coronavirus on its “family and community health model” that, according to state officials, has been effective in facing global epidemics, such as H1N1, and local ones, such as leptospirosis. or malaria.

This model is made up of departmental and municipal Health units. The municipalities have been divided into sectors, which are constantly monitored and visited by Health officials.

The Nicaraguan opposition represented in the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, and the Blue and White National Unit, which emerged after the protests in April 2018, have proposed actions to prevent contagion, including promoting physical distancing, carrying out and decentralizing the massive tests of covid-19 and make its results transparent, in addition to access to resources to face the pandemic and assist the economically vulnerable population, in a country where seven out of ten Nicaraguans work in the informal economy.

The proposal includes a reform of the General Budget of the Republic, the creation of an emergency fund, the release of political prisoners, the restoration of constitutional rights, as well as a three-month moratorium on the payment of basic services, of the Property Tax. Real Estate (IBI), Value Added Tax (VAT), Fixed Fee and other taxes.

The official response to the proposal came from the National Assembly, dominated by the FSLN. The pro-government deputy, José Antonio Zepeda, claimed: “Why don’t they take (the money) out of their bags? I think that demagogues, speeches do not convince us workers who daily know what it is to develop economic, political and social activities ”. The FSLN member of parliament is a teacher, but he has years of not teaching, dedicated to his political career first as a union leader and later as a legislator.

The Orteguismo prefers to continue betting on house-to-house visits throughout the country, despite the disapproval of experts, who warn about exposure to contagion from the population and officials.

Gregorio does not remember that his home in Masaya has been visited by any government medical unit. The last time he saw a Health worker was when he was told that his father had died, without openly telling him that it was from covid-19. You will always have the doubt. But, for now, he will take preventive measures to avoid another case of “atypical pneumonia” in his family. And end up buried without a candle, in a country where the rulers insist on denying the impact of the pandemic.

Article originally appeared on Today Nicaragua and is republished here with permission.

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Bishop of Alajuela confirmed total adherece to ‘Church Doctrine’ on equal marriage

By
Rico
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Bartolomé Buigues Oller was ordained Bishop of Alajuela on May 26, 2018 in the Cathedral of Alajuela. Photograph: GN File

(QCOSTARICA) “We have to be tolerant, we live in an open society. We live our faith, we deepen our faith; But we are glad that there are different types of human relationships, different family paths and I think that there, where there is a manifestation of affection and family in some way, there God manifests himself, and we have to favor Him.”

Bartolomé Buigues Oller was ordained Bishop of Alajuela on May 26, 2018 in the Alajuela Cathedral. File photo

These words are part of a brief comment that the Bishop of Alajuela, Monsignor Bartolomé Buigues Oller, made while celebrating Mass on Monday, few hours before the first equality marriage took place in Costa Rica.

However, a day later, the bishop took another moment during the celebration of the Eucharist to “clarify his thoughts” on this issue and express his “total adherence” to the Catholic Church’s doctrine on marriage and family.

In his first comment, the prelate spoke for almost two minutes about “two important event” that would take place on Tuesday, May 26: the second anniversary of his ordination as bishop and equality marriage.

“It is two years since the Lord gave me this grace to consecrate myself to Him in this episcopal ministry, a very great mission and responsibility,” began the prelate.

Later, with a conciliatory tone, the Monsignor added: “And as everyone knows, tomorrow (May 26) equal marriage will come into force, which is a relevant event in our country. There will be demonstrations of all kinds. For us (the Catholic Church), marriage is the union between man and woman, but we are glad that other couples also have civil rights. How can we be angry that other people who also have some kind of life in common have civil rights?”

On Monday, the Bishop advocated tolerance and respect and made a request to the Catholic faithful. “Do not stop announcing or witnessing our faith and, ultimately, what we believe: of the human condition according to God and of marriage and the family according to God.”

Adherence to church doctrine

A day later, on Tuesday, after the public ceremony of the two women tying the knot minutes after same-sex marriage became legal, and reports of many more same-sex couples doing the same,  during the Eucharist, Monsignor Buigues made a second comment on the subject, to clarify his thoughts

“I reaffirm the beauty of marriage that springs from our faith as the union between men and women, according to the design of God from creation, who shaped us in his image and likeness for the encounter in complementarity and reciprocity, open to life, forever as eternal is love.

“The marriage that gives rise to the family, a beautiful image of the love of the Trinitarian God, an area of ​​growth for all its members immersed in bonds of love, is the lifestyle that has forged our identity and culture as a people, and that we must promote and always care as a basis for a harmonious and prosperous social experience.

“Today more than ever as believers, we have to bear witness to that beauty of sacramental marriage and its force of good in us. My total adherence, therefore, to the Church’s doctrine on marriage and the family,” he said.

On the other hand, he argued that the civil recognition of other unions such as egalitarian marriage, “creates confusion and questions the pillars on which our experience on marriage and the family that feeds on faith has been based on so far.”

In this sense, he pointed out that it must be clearly stated that sacramental marriage and equal marriage are two different realities.

“As, in fact, these other unions have been recognized by our legislation, I have an inclusive view of them, far from any discrimination. And I hope that with their experience they will also provide ties of affection, care and protection to our society.

“From my closeness as a pastor in the diocese of Alajuela, I understand his joy at this step and I promise to accompany, at least believers, in this situation so that they seek to respond to the Lord from their personal reality,” the Bishop concluded.

In a press release released hours after the ruling of the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in 2018, the Catholic Church reaffirmed is position on equal marriage: “The Church cannot renounce her mission to continue presenting the Word of God as it has been revealed; and urges all Christians to continue living according to God’s Plan for the Family and the human being: male and female; all of this within the framework of the Law and absolute respect for every person,” he said at that time

“It is clear that, in the natural order of things, that basic cell family of society is founded on monogamous and heterosexual marriage, from whose conjugal love children are generated and for this, it deserves the protection of the State.”

The Church also stated: “We recognize that in a democratic and pluralistic society, such as ours, legal recognition can be given to people of the same sex who live together, but it would be unfair if such recognition were to equalize the union of people of the same sex with that of marriage “

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Health seizes 80 COVID-19 rapid tests

By
Q Costa Rica
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(QCOSTARICA) The Ministry of Health, in a joint operation with the Air Surveillance of ​​the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and the General Directorate of Customs, seized a total of 80 rapid tests for detection of COVID-19.

These tests were found in the luggage of a passenger arriving on a humanitarian flight from Colombia Tuesday morning. The forfeiture is valued at around US$2,800.

As part of the actions, the Ministry of Health will send this case with the evidence gathered to the prosecutor’s office of the College of Physicians of Costa Rica since the passenger is a Costa Rican doctor.

“The Ministry of Health reiterates that any company or person who wishes to register COVID-19 tests can request it, complying with the sanitary registration requirements for medical equipment that guarantee the effectiveness of the product, a determining factor in tests of this type,” said the Ministry of Health in a press bulletin.

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‘I Declare You Wife and Wife’: Costa Rica Celebrates Its First Equality Marriage

By
Rico
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At 0:08 on May 26, 2020, Alexandra Quirós Castillo, 29, and Daritza Araya Arguedas, 24, became the first same-sex couple to marry civilly after equality marriage took effect in Costa Rica.

The ceremony, held in San Isidro de Heredia, in the presence of notary public Ana Cecilia Castro Calzada, lasted 18 minutes and was broadcast on the Facebook page “Sí acepto, Costa Rica” (Yes, I accept, Costa Rica).

“The undersigned notary, considering that all legal requirements have been met, invested with the authority conferred on me by the laws in force in Costa Rica, I declare you, the contracting parties, united in the marriage bond, wife and wife; and, in accordance with the provisions of article 32 of the Family Code, I have dispensed and dispense under my responsibility the publication of the edict based on the documents that I have mentioned,” declared the notary.

With this phrase, Quirós and Araya were married, after affirmatively answering the question of whether it was their free and express will to unite their lives in marriage, the former a housewife and university student, the latter a judicial technician.

Both were dressed in white with bouquets of flowers in their hands. Throughout the ceremony they were holding hands, without missing glances and nervous smiles.

There were rose petals released by the few attendees of the activity, accompanied by the singing of crickets.

Not to forget that this first marriage between a same-sex couple is performed in the midst of a health emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic, there were also faces with masks, as in the case of the witnesses and the notary herself.

“Yes I accept”. Thus, without hesitation, both answered the question of whether they took this challenge of being wives and life partners to take care of and respect each other in good times and bad, and to start a family and grow together in mind and spirit.

Then they exchanged rings.

“Alexandra and Daritza with the express acceptance of merging in marriage, with the vows, with the exchange of their rings as the first wedding gift, has begun in law what has existed in love and in giving for many months, this way we celebrate and honor the journey that you have made together as life partners, waiting for a day like today, historic for you and for Costa Rica,” the notary told them.

Their union was sealed with a kiss, hugs, smiles, applause, and more rose petals.

Today, May 26, the 18-month period that Constitutional Court or Sala IV gave the Legislative Assembly to legislate on the subject was fulfilled after declaring unconstitutional subsection 6 of article 14 of the Family Code that expressly prohibited marriage between people of the same sex.

After the deadline and without any reform by the Legislative Assembly, the prohibition of the Family Code is lifted and equal marriage becomes legal.

To commemorate the event, a historical tour about the struggle of LGTBIQ people to achieve equal marriage was aired starting at 9 pm, before the wedding ceremony, which was broadcast live on television Channel 13, social networks and radio.

For today, notary publics can legally bind two people of the same-sex in matrimony and register the same in the Civil Registry maintained by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE), that has said it is prepared to process all applications presented.

In fact, 55 requests for registration of same-sex marriages are queued for the process. Some were married months ago abroad.

Costa Rica President, Carlos Alvarado, celebrated the opening of equal marriage in Costa Rica and expressed that “today we celebrate freedom, equality and democratic institutions.”

Vice-President Epsy Campbell said “our country takes a great step in the field of human rights. What happens is the constitutional consolidation that allows all people in this country to marry and all their rights stipulated by law. It is a step in the field of human rights, this allows us to progress in terms of equality and non-discrimination in Costa Rica”.

Watch below the Facebook live video of the ceremony broadcast live a few minutes after midnight this Tuesday. You can also watch it here at Q24TV.

Watch the “History of Equality Marriage in Costa Rica” (in Spanish) here.

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“I’m never going back to the United States again.”

By
Randy Berg
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When I heard her say these words, I was shocked. I shouldn’t have been, with our history, but having known her for over a decade I never knew she had such strong feelings.

She told me “It is not that I hate America… I don’t… but I hate what it has become and it tears me apart to see it in person and to watch what is happening.”

And she didn’t have to say anymore because I knew exactly what she was saying. And the sad part is that there are millions more that feel the same way… but they have no way of “escaping.”

I really only became aware of how truly divisive the U.S. has become about five years ago when I returned to the States after being gone for almost 15 years.

I had never heard so much anger and rage in my entire life. And that is NOT an exaggeration.

I didn’t know the “whys” or the causes… after all, I had been gone for well over a decade except for occasional visits.

Everything I read was negative… everything I read was anger… and it became very apparent that no one trusted any longer… whether it was banks, the government, the business, our elected officials… it was almost everything.

Some people blew it off and paid no attention… it had become just “the new generations whining”.

But make no mistake… the United States was as divided as it has ever been.

And it wasn’t until a recent post of mine caused an outpouring of negativity and personal “bashing” that I realized … not only WHY it had occurred but why all of the negativity and toxicity was “suddenly” surfacing “back home.”

It wasn’t SUDDEN and it wasn’t happening for “no reason at all”.

And I remembered something that happened to me well over 20 years ago: And actually it had its roots back when my sister and I were in college over half a century ago… The Vietnam war was just heating up and there were demonstrations everywhere (remember, this type of thing was “new” back then and NO ONE demonstrated against the government).

Most of the guys were committed to going if they were called but everyone else was violently against it.

My sister was one of them. My father saw her face on the news. He cut off her tuition.

Dad was former Navy and his ship was strafed and he ended up in icy waters near Murmansk, Russia and was lucky he didn’t die. A week later he relented.

But… nearly 20 years later, he admitted to me that he shouldn’t have done it AND he admitted that he was wrong about the war.

I was shocked. And that brings me to today.

…and the fact that the past two generations may just have some legitimacy to their anger.

I don’t like the fact that the anger exists and that no one seems to compromise or even discuss issues … that to me is the worst part.

I know that millions are not only angry and disillusioned… and no compromises seem to be in sight.

My friend that is not returning home and swears that she will live her life out in a place that makes her happy and content…

Yes, that place is Costa Rica.

Three months ago I wrote about a small town that my wife and I discovered on one of our “road trips.”

And I described it as well as a property that I thought would be perfect to live in.
I was overwhelmed with “where is it… tell me more… I would love to see it… when can I visit…”

And I realized that damn near everyone today want to escape like I described.

Costa Rica gets plenty of raves… and with good reason…

But many people are looking for the impossible… and want Costa Rica to “fix them.” Those of you who know Costa Rica well know that it has plenty wrong with it.

But it is easy to be “at home” in Costa Rica… to see the beauty and the diversity… and somehow the problems “back home” seem to hurt a lot less and they seem to fade when we are here.

Is it really escape?

It is for a lot of people…. And I keep coming back to what my wife always told people when they asked if Costa Rica really was a paradise…“paradise is what you make it.”

If you are looking to escape… to find a haven where all of the problems of the world don’t seem as bad….Talk to people who live there.0It is not for everyone… not everyone can live in a totally different world…

But…

It just might be your escape too.

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Does Rain Wash Away the Coronavirus?

By
Rico
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The rainy season is here. But this year it is different. Unlike the seasons before, it feels different, ah yes, the coronavirus. The virus that is keeping us all, or should be all, at home.

While watching the downpour yesterday in my little corner of the world I got to thinking, does the rain wash away the virus? Is there even an answer to my question?

As I learned browsing the Internet, yes and no. Not what I was looking for. Thought by now there would be some definitive answer to my question, but alas.

My search started with the obvious, the CDC, the know-it-all of everything there is to know about, well you, stuff like diseases and their prevention. Unfortunately, its website on “Water and Coronavirus” didn’t help much with this question. It was focused more on drinking water, wastewater, and recreational facilities, such as pools, hot tubs, spas, and water play.

My search found Dr. Jennifer Horney, a scientist and founder of the University of Delaware’s Epidemiology Department, who told WBOC.com, way back in March, that she didn’t think rainfall would wash away or any role in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

We do wash our hands with water, but soap is an important factor in breaking down the virus. This Vox article explains how you’re not just washing viruses down the drain, but “How soap absolutely annihilates the coronavirus”.

Rain likely has some dilution and cleansing effect on surfaces as suggested in the video, but the rainwater, by itself, is not effective at destroying the virus.

Times’ “All your questions answered” explained that scientists don’t yet know how much of the virus you have to be exposed to in order to be infected, it’s unclear whether the rain would have on viruses living on surfaces.

I am not sure I answered the question I asked, however, I do understand now a bit more about the virus and rainfall and that you still need to wash your hands and still maintain social distancing even when it is raining.

It probably doesn’t totally wash the virus away, even during a Costa Rican rainy season downpour, but it probably dilutes it – making it harder to get. But that is speculation.

 

 

 

 

 

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Costa Rica is more developed than most so-called developed nations

By
Christopher Howard
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Let’s look at why this statement is true. In most cases a developed country is synonymous with its military and economic power. The latter seems to be the criteria used for drawing the line between developed nations and those which are in the process of developing, or as they are most often referred to —third world nations like Costa Rica.

Ironically, the countries with the most cases of cover-19 and deaths are those that are supposedly the most developed and have the most powerful armed forces in the world: United States, English, France, Russia, Italy, and Germany. China, where the pandemic started, is also in the top 10 for its number of cases and deaths.

One would think that these countries would have handled this healthcare crisis more efficiently, but neither their military might or economic power has been enough to really stop the virus.

Costa Rica is still considered to be a developing nation. However, in reality, the country’s healthcare system, the level of education of its people, access to potable water and electricity combine to exclude the country from the category of being a third world nation. In some cases Costa Rica has equaled or surpassed many of the so-called developed nations in certain areas.

Costa Rica is number 107 on the list of people infected by coronavirus and with more people having recovered than those who are actually sick. Fortunately, there have only been ten fatalities and most were those with serious pre-existing conditions. The country has put the value of human life above military and economic power.

Its handling of the crisis has also been done without the collapse of the health care systems as in many countries. Furthermore, the country’s resounding success in the face of an invisible adversary has come to the attention of nations and people around the world. Its response to the pandemic has demonstrated that the country’s health care system to be one of the best on the planet.

Indeed in the times of a pandemic the definition of what a developed country has certainly changed.

The bottom line:

Anyone who is thinking of moving or retiring here should keep this in mind. While other so-called retirement havens as Panama, Nicaragua and Ecuador may be more affordable than Costa Rica, the quality of healthcare, its response to the pandemic and the level of education are really what set Costa Rica apart and make it the logical place to relocate.
After all, What is more important, saving a little money or one’s own life?

 

Christopher Howard has been conducting monthly relocation/retirement tours and writing retirement guidebooks for more than 30 years. See www.liveincostarica.com. He has a relocation/retirement blog at http://www.liveincostarica.com/blog and is also the author of the one-of-a-kind bestselling e-book, “Guide to Costa Rican Spanish,” that can be purchased through Amazon.

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Hydroxychloroquine under review in Costa Rica

By
Rico
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The president of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), Roman Macaya, announced on Monday that the Pharmacotherapy Committee of the institution will be convened to review the results that have been seen in the country with the use of hydroxychloroquine in patients with covid-19.

It will be necessary, he said, to contrast the contexts and make an assessment of whether or not the use will be maintained after the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday decided to temporarily suspend clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a virtual press conference the decision came after the publication last week of a study in The Lancet finding that using that hydroxychloroquine, as well as the anti-malarial chloroquine on COVID-19 patients could have side effects, particularly heart arrhythmia.

Macaya said that among the 96,000 patients in the study there are many mixed situations, but all are hospitalized with covid-19, and those who, eventually, could have side effects, although not necessarily as a consequence of the virus.

Macaya added that patients who were given the drug could be included despite having contraindications. However, the use that has been given in Costa Rica is different from that given in other countries.

More: Hydroxychloroquine: the drug Costa Rica uses successfully to fight covid-19

In Costa Rica, patients are offered the option to take hydroxychloroquine upon their diagnosis, as long as they don’t have contraindications to the drug

“In Costa Rica, the option is given as soon as a patient is diagnosed, they begin to take hydroxychloroquine after a filter that does not have the contraindications known in that phase, where the effect is more antiviral, it may have an effect.

“The numbers that we see in Costa Rica are interesting. Of the total of patients 9.5% has evolved to require hospitalization, it is one of the lowest rates in the world. We cannot say that it is because of this medicine, but we cannot rule it out either,” he added.

Still, he said, usage will be reviewed and a decision will be made in a very short time.

Costa Rica’s fatality rate from covid-19 is very low (1.08%), and less than 5% of known active coronavirus cases are currently hospitalized.

 

 

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Coronavirus in Costa Rica: total infected rises to 930, with 21 new cases 21 new cases, the highest in recent weeks

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Rico
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The Ministry of Health on Monday, May 25, reported 21 new cases over the previous day, bringing the number of people who have had the new coronavirus in Costa Rica reached 951.

Daniel Salas, Health Minister, called attention to this increase in the report of the last 24 hours. “We had several weeks of not having such a substantial increase, the figure of 21 has to make us react in the way we have to behave as a society in the midst of a pandemic,” he said.

More: 21 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours!

On Sunday it was 12 and Saturday it was 7. In fact, it is the highest number since April 9, when 37 new cases were registered. Since then, the largest increase had been 16. In March, there were daily increases of 32 new infections on two consecutive days, on the 27th and 28th.

By the numbers, there are 507  men and 444 women infected, ranging in ages from 3 months to 87 years.

A total of 628 have recovered; 15 patients remain in hospital, of which 2 are in the ICU.

The number of deaths remains at 10.

 

 

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21 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours!

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Rico
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Rico’s Covid-19 Digest – Without the usual fervor, one could even say “aguevado”, the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, announced that 21 new cases of the coronavirus were registered over the day before.

Health Minister Daniel Salas, accompanied by the president of the Caja, Roman Macaya and the minister of security, Micheal Soto, during Monday’s coronavirus press conference from Casa Presidencial

The Minister’s tone was one of disappointment, mixed with frustration, appeared almost like having given up on his ‘preaching’. What came to my mind was he must be thinking, I told them this would happen if they weren’t careful.

“We cannot undo what we achieved during Semana Santa,” expressed Salas. “We had several weeks of not having such a substantial increase, the figure of 21 has to make us react in the way we have to behave as a society in the midst of a pandemic.”

The number is very disappointing, The daily increase in cases for the past few weeks has been, for the most part, in the single digits.

In fact, it is the highest number since April 9, when 37 new cases were registered. Since then, the largest increase had been 16.

In March, there were daily increases of 32 new infections on two consecutive days, on the 27th and 28th.

“I know that many people, since they have not seen it (the virus), do not perceive it as a real threat, but it is totally real. (…) It is a virus that manages to prostrate the health services, close society, paralyzes the economy,” he added.

One of the successes of Costa Rica’s battle against the coronavirus has been testing and contact tracing; identifying the infected and their contacts, to isolate or quarantine them.

More: Should Costa Ricans have the right to take care of themselves and not the government?

“This has been one of the successes of the strategy and the follow-up that Costa Rica has given to the evolution of the pandemic. We have been able to identify and follow-up cases in a timely manner, but we are at risk of failing if many cases arise, they will not have that order, they will not have confinement,” he explained.

He cited the case of a person who left his bubble to visit a family member outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) and infected two nephews.

“If we are going to have an eventual contact, it has to be far away, but not in violation of social bubbles. We cannot come and cause outbreaks of infection, if we start doing that, it can complicate it a lot,” he recalled.

Last week, Salas had already expressed his concern, because after weeks with low numbers in the registry of infections, the number rose significantly.

The increase coincides with the first phase of the reopening of the economy and relaxed measures that went into effect May 16.

 

Moving forward

The question now, how do we move forward. As detailed in the re-opening chronogram laid out two weeks ago, to move to phase 2 there would have to be good numbers.

Up to the last 24 hours the numbers have not been great, a rise as expected. For example, in the seven-day period between April 24 and 30 there were 34 cases, while in the last seven days from May 19 to 25, the increase is 85.

What happens in the coming days, which is not very promising, and if I read Salas right and that of the president of Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), Dr. Roman Macaya, whose tone was also lower than usual, I fear we are not going to see what we are all expecting.

Salas warned that the terrain remains “fragile”.

It’s not a game

The third person at the podium on Monday was the Minister of Security, Michael Soto, who spoke about the continuing efforts of all the police forces in this national emergency.

Soto strongly criticized the behavior of large numbers of people who failed to comply with sanitary measures this weekend.

“If you are irresponsible with your health, do not be irresponsible with the health of your family and the people around you. Unfortunately, we had many incidents, this is serious, you are playing with your health and that of your family,” Soto said vehemently.

Soto spent several minutes highlighting some of the irresponsibilities occurring over the weekend: of bars, restaurants, casinos opening without permits; home or ‘finca’ parties with large number of people grouped together, almost 3,000 calls for that alone; drivers disrespecting the vehicular restrictions; and the case of a group of 15 people (five adults and their minor children) that had to be rescued from a river in Cartago, a situation that had their life in the balance.

“It’s not a game,” added Soto.

 

 

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Costa Rica’s Rising Place as a Tech and Entertainment Hub

By
Carter Maddox
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pixabay.com

Despite the many innovations that central America has developed in the modern age, tech and entertainment have generally been considered points of weakness.

That is, until the last few years. More recently, rapid growth within Costa Rica’s tech and entertainment industries has set it as the region’s haven for investment and development. And future potential continues to grow.

Medical Developments

Among the over 3400 manufacturing companies which exist within Costa Rica’s borders, possibly the most important are those concerned with medical devices. In 2015 and 2017, these devices marked the number one export goods produced in Costa Rica, with Launch Way Media claiming there are over nine times as many life science multinationals operating today than in 2009.

A primary contributor within this market is Boston Scientific, which alone has invested more than $130 million in its two manufacturing companies since 2003. According to Randy Schiestl, the Vice President of Global Technology at Boston Scientific, this increased investment is due to highly committed talent, and a close relationship with the Costa Rican government.

Altogether, Costa Rica holds nine of the most important worldwide medical device manufacturing companies. This includes such influential names as Microvention-Terumo, Pfizer, and Hologic and Phillips. Combined, these add up to 23% of the country’s total exports, on a continuous upward trend.

Image from pixabay.com

Entertainment Media

Costa Rica has also made strides forward in the vast sector that is entertainment, which can be divided up into several subsectors. First, there is the world of digital betting, where few developments have been as important in recent years as live casino titles. These work by effectively streaming dealers onto a person’s computer or mobile device, fusing in-person appeal with modern at-home convenience.

One of the most successful businesses in this sphere, Ezugi, is located within Costa Rica. Live dealer systems like those Ezugi produces are licensed to online casino operators like Betway, who then bring the titles to users. Live games such as live blackjack, roulette, and hold’em are continuously gaining popularity within the global betting environment, which is now valued at over $50 billion.

This adds to the significance of Costa Rica’s steps in this area.

Video gaming is the next subsector. Latin America is a large consumer of this form of digital media, yet involvement on the creation front has traditionally lagged.

Over the last decade, important gains have been made in this field, with developers MOGA and Green Lava Studios standing among the most accomplished. Of released games, Fenix Rage was probably the best received.

With positive reviews on mainstream gaming sales company Steam, Fenix Rage finds its place among a hardcore subgenre of platformers, known for pushing difficulty to a degree which can alienate less than dedicated or skilled players. Also available on OSX, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms, the success of this game and others have taken the first new steps in what could become a major area for further investigation and investment.

Film and television production, another area which has historically struggled in Costa Rica, is now seeming an immense gathering of momentum. While Costa Rican love of television and cinema has long been known, a small local industry with a lack of knowledge and infrastructure has led to a situation where production has been slow.

Again, over the last decade, growing success, interest, and expertise has raised future production potential. Films such as Maikol Yordan de Viaje Perdido have elevated the national profile of Costa Rican video media.

At the same time, with an influx of internationally trained filmmakers like Paz Fábrega returning home to share their knowledge, the future appears bright.

Development now is a sign of bigger things to come

The 2010s were undoubtedly one of the most productive decades that Costa Rica has ever seen in the realms of tech and entertainment, but it’s important to note the greater scale of what these accomplishments mean. Rather than acting in a vacuum, developments such as these can generate an accelerating effect for those who follow in their footsteps.

Whether looking at medical tech, betting, video gaming, or film and television, the path forward is now forged. While it might take some time to see how far these sectors can develop, current progress indicates a bright future for all involved.

 

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These charts track how coronavirus is spreading around the world

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Q Costa Rica
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Statistics are central to the coronavirus story. Every day, we hear new numbers of cases and deaths, but what do they actually mean?

Firstly, it’s vitally important to understand what data we have and its limitations.

The main thing we know for certain is that the numbers we’re seeing are incomplete. That doesn’t mean the information they provide isn’t useful, but you need to keep this at the front of your mind when you’re looking at the number of coronavirus cases.

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COVID-19 goes from respiratory disease to multisystemic

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Q Costa Rica
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When you talk to doctors in intensive care units (ICUs) in the UK and other countries around the world who have been dealing with the devastating effects of COVID-19 for weeks, the phrase they repeat over and over again is: “We have never seen anything like this”.

They knew a new disease was coming: an unknown respiratory infection that had first appeared in China late last year.

But the cases that were coming took even the most experienced ICU specialists by surprise.

Most people infected with the new coronavirus had only moderate symptoms, and in some cases none. But in many of the seriously ill patients, COVID-19 is an extremely complex disease.

What follows is a summary of what doctors learned in these months of how COVID-19 attacks the human body and of everything that remains a mystery.

Coronavirus can cause blood clots

It’s an extremely dangerous development that can kill between 20% and 50% of patients, said Dr. Sean Wengerter, a vascular surgeon in Pomona, New York.

Quick diagnosis and a surgical procedure to slice open the arteries and scoop out the clot using a catheter saved the patient. “We had two surgeons working simultaneously on him,” said Dr. Sean Wengerter, chief of vascular surgery at Westchester Medical Center Health’s Good Samaritan Hospital.

Doctors treating coronavirus patients are seeing a range of odd and frightening syndromes, including blood clots of all sizes throughout the body, kidney failure, heart inflammation and immune complications.

“One thing that is both curious and evolving and frustrating is that this disease is manifesting itself in so many different ways,” said Dr. Scott Brakenridge, an assistant professor on the acute care surgery team at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

It can also cause multi-system organ failure

“In some cases it’s having severe effects on the patient’s ability to breathe, and in others it seems to be associated with development of multi-system organ failure — when all your organs shut down. And now it’s associated with immune effects in children.”

While the new coronavirus is designated as a respiratory virus, it’s clear that it is affecting some people throughout their bodies. The most obvious symptoms of infection are classic respiratory symptoms: fever, pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

But the virus also seems to attack some organs directly. One of the most troubling is its assault on the lining of the blood vessels, which in turn causes unnatural blood clotting.

“It seems like Covid, the virus, is creating a local inflammatory response that’s leading to some of these thrombotic events,” Wengerter said. “This is happening because of the direct action of the virus on the arteries themselves.”

Other teams of doctors have reported unusual strokes in younger patients, as well as pulmonary embolisms, the medical name for blood clots in the lungs.

Pathologists are finding tiny blood clots in the smallest vessels, as well, said Dr. Oren Friedman, who has been taking care of Covid-19 patients in the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

“There’s no debate — the virus seems to affect thrombosis and seems to directly affect your blood vessels,” Friedman told CNN. And that means it affects the whole body.

“Obviously, every single organ in your body is fed by blood vessels, so if the virus affects your blood vessels, then you can have organ damage,” he said.

“It is a very confusing picture. It’s going to take time to understand,” Brakenridge said.

It might cause children’s immune systems to overreact

One of the most frightening syndromes that might be linked with Covid-19 is “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.” New York City reports 52 cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday, and the New York State Department of Health says it is investigating 100 cases.

Not all children with pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome tested positive for current or past infection with the virus.(AAP: Lionel Urman)

It is characterized by persistent fever, inflammation, poor function in one or more organs, and other symptoms that resemble shock, a panel of pediatricians known as the International PICU-COVID-19 Collaboration says.

“In some cases, children present with shock and some have features of Kawasaki disease, whereas others may present with signs of cytokine storm. In some geographic areas, there has been an uptick in Kawasaki disease cases in children who don’t have shock,” Boston Children’s Hospital rheumatologist Dr. Mary Beth Son said. Kawasaki disease involves inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries and can damage the heart.

It may be caused by an immune system response known as a cytokine storm, doctors say.

“Your immune system is overreacting to the virus, and because these are inflammatory diseases, this overreaction can cause a Kawasaki-like disease,” Dr. Glenn Budnick, a pediatrician in Pomona, New Jersey, said on CNN Newsroom Saturday.

“It is even possible that the antibodies that children are making to SARS-CoV2 are creating an immune reaction in the body. Nobody knows,” said Dr. Jane Newburger, a cardiologist on the Boston Children’s panel and an expert on Kawasaki disease.

Cytokine storm may also cause some of the lung damage and unusual blood clotting seen in adult patients, doctors said.

“There is other evidence that the virus really doesn’t generate a strong immune response and actually it is suppressing the immune system,” Brakenridge said. That would allow the virus to more directly attack organs.

A study published in the journal Nature Medicine on Tuesday supported both theories.

Dr. Zheng Zhang and colleagues at Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital in Shenzhen, China analyzed samples of immune cells taken from the lungs of nine coronavirus patients and found abnormally high levels of immune cells called macrophages and neutrophils, as well as immune signaling chemicals called cytokines and chemokines in the sicker patients. Sicker patients also had high levels of proliferating T-cells, another type of immune cell.

But the patients with the most severe symptoms had lower numbers of CD8 T-cells, which directly kill virus-infected cells.

Doctors say they are finding that various treatments can help control symptoms. Blood thinners can help control the unusual blood clotting, while immune blockers may help control the cytokine storm.

It can cause ‘Covid toes’

One last symptom that is puzzling — but less troubling — is known as “Covid toes.” Patients are reporting red or purple swelling of their toes.

It’s possible the tiny blood clots associated with Covid-19 are causing it, doctors said.

“One pattern of COVID toes that people are reporting is red lesions typically on the soles. It’s possible that this is a skin reaction or caused by a small clog or micro clots in the blood vessels found in the toes,” Cleveland Clinic pulmonologist Dr. Humberto Choi said on the clinic’s website.

It’s not usually associated with any serious symptoms, Choi said.

The-CNN-Wire

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Whom to believe, hackers or your BCR bank?

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Rico
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0

(Rico’s Digest) “To our great regret, executives, employees, regulators, Visa and Master Card are not interested in the data breach that we talked about for a month.

“We apologize to all Banco BCR clients and all those who were using its services to publish their personal data. We regret that Banco BCR and regulators do not care about their clients and their personal data.”

That is the message by the cybercriminal group Maze, which claimed at the beginning of the month to have hacked the security systems of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), concretized hours ago its threat to disclose information regarding the numbers of bank cards that were “stolen” and which it claims to belong to the BCR.

On May 5, the group issued a statement in which it said: “Probably the Banco de Costa Rica lives in its own reality (…) and does not care about its customers or the confidentiality of the information.”

According to a report by Delfino.cr, Maze assured that the first attack on the BCR was carried out in August 2019 and although the current protocols require that the institution have reported this violation to the authorities. It did not do so.

The second attack was alleged to have taken place in February this year and that is where they claimed to have stolen information of 11,000,000 credit cards, including card information and transaction history.

The BCR has repeatedly denied having suffered an attack and assured that the entire plot responded to an extortion attempt. The bank then indicated that it would not negotiate with Maze:

Esteban Jiménez Cabezas, cybersecurity expert and chief technology officer for cyber defense company ATTICYBER, released the statement and translated it:

The BCR’s response:

Basically the bank is putting the onus on its customers to maintain strict security protocols, by not giving away log-in credentials, only use a secure connection and that BCR staff will not ask for account information by phone or email.

Who do you believe?

Me, I stopped using the BCR some time ago. I do keep my account open, but with no funds, the procedures forclosing it is just not worth my time.

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Pandemic and inequality: For whom the bells don’t toll

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Q Costa Rica
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Residents of the Babilônia favela, in Rio de Janeiro, disinfect the streets. Photo: Photocarioca/Shutterstock

“We are in this moment of tranquility when it comes to press coverage. Covid-19 is all [the media] talks about.” That phrase was uttered by Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, during a now-infamous April 22 cabinet meeting.

Inequality: Paraisópolis, São Paulo’s second-largest favela, faces the upscale neighborhood of Morumbi. Photo: Rovena Rosa/ABr

He explained to his boss and peers the golden opportunity the administration had to do away with environmental regulations, as reporters’ focus was elsewhere. At that point, the pandemic had already killed 2,741 Brazilians.

It is apparent that this government is indifferent to the victims of the pandemic and the suffering it has inflicted. Whose lives then matter in Brazil? Certainly not the majority of those who are dying from the coronavirus.

The virus was brought to Brazil by the rich who can still afford to travel to Europe and the U.S. despite the massive devaluation of the Brazilian Real. But, as reporter Augusta Saraiva showed on May 10, the majority of those dying from the pandemic are the poor and black.

The coronavirus has by no means been the “great equalizer” many talked about. If anything it has been the exact opposite.

Inequality: the geography of Covid-19 in Brazil

First the virus came to post neighborhoods like Jardins in São Paulo, the coronavirus hotspots are now on peripheral communities of Brazil’s major cities — where social distancing is impossible. All twenty neighborhoods with the most Covid-19 deaths are on the outskirts of São Paulo. Combined, they account for 40 percent of the entire city’s death total. And despite the growing body count, the city has so far avoided a lockdown and could resume commercial activities as early as June.

Nationwide, the virus is spreading much faster in the North and Northeast regions — the poorest in Brazil. The Amazonian city of Manaus was the first to experience a full-scale healthcare collapse, and data editor Marcelo Soares showed how the arid Sertão is being ravaged by the coronavirus. And the small impoverished cities of the northeastern countryside are the next in line to see their healthcare systems collapse.

The brutal inequality that continues to define Brazilian society is nowhere more apparent than in how the disease came to Brazil.

One of Brazil’s first reported deaths from the coronavirus was of a domestic worker — whose employer in the wealthy Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Leblon had contracted the virus in Italy. Her employer neglected to inform her of the risks, despite the fact she had worked for the family for decades.

There is also the case of a businessman diagnosed with Covid-19 in São Paulo, who left the hospital and took a private jet to party with friends at a Bahia beach resort in early March. While the businessman and the Leblon resident survived, others have not been so lucky.

Brazil’s poor were abandoned before the pandemic

In Belém, the mayor decided that maids and housekeepers as “essential workers,” allowing employers to demand their domestic workers continue their activities, even during social isolation measures. Meanwhile, demand for state-of-the-art air ambulances taking the city’s jet-set to upscale São Paulo hospitals rose by 100 percent.

Brazil does not have a culture of social solidarity, for instance, only BRL 5 billion has been raised to fight the pandemic — despite the country having 45 billionaires who combine for a net worth of USD$127 billion.

But the fact is that Brazil’s poor were abandoned by the state long before the pandemic. Favela residents are well aware that the state has left them to their own fate and have taken matters into their hands in producing protective masks and organizing medical services in their communities.

In Brazil’s overcrowded prisons, reported cases have quintupled in just three weeks, while members of the government openly say things like “human rights are, basically, for righteous humans.”

Favela residents are still being terrorized by the police, who have if anything intensified operations during the pandemic in Rio de Janeiro. In April 2020, operations rose 28 percent — and police killings were up 58 percent. The recent killing of 14-year-old João Pedro, while he was playing with his cousin, highlights this ongoing barbarism.

Residents of the Babilônia favela, in Rio de Janeiro, disinfect the streets. Photo: Photocarioca/Shutterstock

The tragedy was not inevitable

Mr. Bolsonaro poses as a defender of the common man, who has had their livelihood taken away from him by lockdown measures imposed by state governors. He is anything but.

It was never inevitable that the poor would have to choose between starvation and lockdown. The government’s mishandling of the crisis and the lack of social provision was a choice. In the end the lives of those dying from the pandemic did not mean enough to warrant the type of intervention needed to prevent this crisis from occurring.

For a lockdown to work, you need both a significant amount of public-buy-in and a government committed to ensuring that people are able to survive it. Neither of these can be found in Brazil, in most part because Mr. Bolsonaro’s government has done all it can to ensure this.

Mr. Bolsonaro once famously declared that in order to truly solve Brazil’s problems, 30,000 would have to die — we should not be surprised by his contempt for the victims of the pandemic. He was elected in part on the basis of his promise to shoot his way through Brazil’s problems, as was his former ally Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel who promised to “dig graves” in a crackdown on drug gangs.

Well, graves are being dug and the pandemic’s body count is inching closer to 30,000.

Article first appeared at Brazilian.report. Read the original here.

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“In Costa Rica it is dangerous to go out alone, if the Covid does not kill you, someone on the street does”

By
RedaQted
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0

Although it is recommended to stay at home, some people just need to be out. And so do antisocials, who could be said are taking advantage of the national emergency of desolate streets, especially at night.

Sunday night, around 8:30 pm, an hour after the vehicular restrictions went into effect, a security camera video captured a man staggering while walking in the area of the National Stadium, La Sabana, walking with difficulty.

At a certain moment, he couldn’t take it anymore and falls in the middle of the street.

Minutes later, the Red Cross units arrived and transferred him to the San Juan de Dios Hospital emergency, where minutes later he lost his life.

Before dying, the man assured that at least four men assaulted him while crossing the park.

A search of the area for the killers came up empty.

Although this was an isolated incident, the reports of attacks, many settling of scores between gangs, continue to pile up.

The recommendation is not to be out at night alone, unless absolutely necessary, an in particular in isolated areas.

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San José hotel for patients with COVID-19 without ties in the country was filled in less than 10 days

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Rico
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0

The hotel rented by the National Emergency Commission (CNE) for 40 patients with COVID-19 who are not rooted in Costa Rica or without a safe place to comply with their isolation order was filled in less than 10 days.

According to the CNE, the hotel located in Sabana Sur (the location was not disclosed for the privacy of the patients) was ready on May 13 and as of Thursday (May 22), there were already 38 people calling it home.

The amenities include a single room with a bathroom, food service (breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks), laundry, cleaning and hygiene.

The monthly cost to be paid by the CNE for the accommodation of patients is ¢23 million colones, for a maximum period of three months.

Foreigner truckers testing positive and prohibited to enter Nicaragua, as well as people infected in La Carpio are part of those who currently occupy the hotel.

The Head of Operations of the CNE, Sigifredo Pérez, in charge of the project, explained that those who are located in this hotel are asymptomatic, but that they need to comply with their isolation in a correct and safe way to avoid the spread of the virus in the country.

The two requirements that were established for the transfer to this hotel are not having roots in the country and having a quarantine order issued by the Ministry of Health.

The entrance and exit to this lodging is dynamic, depending on the recovery of each, who are under permanent monitoring by health authorities. If necessary and if there is an evolution of their symptoms, they are transferred to the hospital system.

Those infected with COVID-19 who are sent to this hotel will not be able to leave the premises during their entire period of isolation.

Given the need for more spaces with accommodation and food services for those infected with the new coronavirus, the CNE is carrying on the process of seeking out more accommodations.

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Costa Rica will be the world’s No. 1 surfing destination, after covid-19

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Rico
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0

Surfers who will travel again in search of waves and also consider the sanitary measures carried out by country during the coronavirus, will find that Costa Rica is, today, the nation with the lowest mortality among the 10 favorite world destinations for to surf.

Roca Bruja, the aspirational destination for every surfer who arrives in Costa Rica. Photo Surf-forcast.com

With a mortality rate of just 1.08% during the contagion days so far, Costa Rica is today, the ninth country in the world that has best treated the health emergency, but the first among the 10 most visited destinations for surfing reasons.

Both National Geographic and other international media have repeatedly placed Costa Rica among the Top 10 of privileged countries to surf in their publications.

The other nine destinations are: Indonesia, Hawaii, the United States, Australia, South Africa, Spain, New Zealand, Brazil and Ireland.

However, Costa Rica, within that Top 10, is with the lowest mortality rate and with the least amount of infections in relation to the entire population.

Australia and New Zealand, would be the next two favorite countries to surf, with the best treatment of the health of its population during this historic pandemic that today totals more than 340,000 deaths worldwide.

In fact, data from the DDI (Data-Driven Innovation Lab) of the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), predict that Costa Rica will be the 17th country in the world and 1st in America to overcome the pandemic.

Australia will be the fourth country in the world, while New Zealand the fifth, also to overcome the covid, according to DDI.

No secret

It is no secret to anyone that Costa Rica has been in the front of the international media for how it takes care of its citizenship, an action that will catapult it into the considerations of surfers and tourists in general to choose their next destination.

Recent data from the same Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) – Costa Rica Tourism Board, reveal that surfing tourism in Costa Rica represents between 15% and 20% of total visitors. This means that the number of surfers who visit the country each year exceeds half a million.

In fact, the good wave season has just started for the entire Pacific of our country with the arrival of the rainy or “green season”, where private companies have invested more in hotels and commerce.

Precisely, for Juan Carlos Borbón, Director of Marketing of the ICT (Costa Rica’s Tourism Board), it is a pride that the perception of Costa Rica about the management of the pandemic is so positive in the world and without a doubt this will contribute to reinforce the positioning of the country as a destination to visit in the future.

With the support of our public relations and advertising agencies in the United States and Europe, we have shared interesting information about Costa Rica, its culture, people, tourist attractions, its beaches and its waves. Juan Carlos Borbón, Director of Marketing of the ICT

“We remained in mind the main source markets that consider us once it is possible to travel to Costa Rica, after we all learn to surf together this Covid-19,” he concluded.

Last Monday, May 18, the Ministry of Health gave the final green light to surfers in Costa Rica to return to using the sea and the beach, during time slots and during the week.

That day, despite speculation from part of the community that the government allowed them to surf only the dry tide, the quality of waves that broke along the Costa Rican Pacific, was Class A World, reports crserf.com

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Young victim of human trafficking: “They had a psychologist and made me believe that everything was fine”

By
Q Costa Rica
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0

“I got a message on Facebook, I did not know the person who sent it, nor were we friends on that social network, but it said there was a photo casting, I was excited and I went with my mom, we were not there even five minutes.

“Everything was extremely normal: the clothes, the photos, the girls. There was nothing out of place. About two or three photo sessions were normal and then those in charge began to demand other things (photos of a sexual nature).

“They got the data from the place where I was studying, they knew my schedule, they were going to look for me and, since I didn’t want to (do the photos), they started with threats.

“They threatened to take my sister’s life, kidnap her or sexually abuse her, they attacked me with the most sensitive things in my life, she was very young and to protect her, I agreed. I was a girl, I was 13 years old …

“I never went for money, nor did I want to be a model, I was curious, I was very innocent and I entered that (social) network unconsciously.”

This is the way, María, a made-up name used for this report, described what she lived for approximately three years, during which time she was a victim of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation derived from the production and dissemination of child pornography.

She is one of 26 girls who was recruited by a modeling agency based in San José, of which two photographers linked to an international network were in charge of producing material and send it to Mexico.

They produced photos and videos of minors between 11 and 17 years old and uploaded to pornographic websites.

The investigation of this case, known as R–INO (rescue of innocents), began in 2015 after the mother of one of the minors discovered that there were photos of her daughter on porno sites and filed the complaint.

Starting there, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) began to investigate and, in June 2017, carried out seven raids.

The work by the OIJ investigators determined that the leaders of the group in Costa Rica were two photographers, identified as Elías de Jesús Solano Corrales and Justo Tony Núñez Romero.

The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that the first is serving 39 years in prison and the second was convicted, but remains in preventive detention (waiting out any appeal), while his 28 years sentence becomes firm.

Both accepted the charges and went through an abbreviated process.

How human traffickers operate

HOW THE PEOPLE TRAFFICKING NETWORKS OPERATE

Authorities believe that anyone can be a victim of this crime.

From La Nacion infografia

Rodrigo Picado Mena, OIJ investigator these types of cases are very complex and difficult to connect all the links. In addition to Costa Rica and Mexico, the group had members in Brazil; and, the pages in which the material was disseminated were blocked for those three countries, so it was necessary to use special technological tools to uncover the case.

“It was not just a site, but it was linked to a lot of other web pages with child pornographic content (…). We realized that the material was promoted on pornographic pages and on the deep web, and to have access you had to be a member and pay with bank cards, wire transfers and bitcoins.

“Membership cost US$29 and, from there, the value of the material varied between US$500 and US$5,000,” said Picado.

He highlighted that in Costa Rica the group recruited its victims, all minors, through social networks and in schools located in urban-marginal areas; however, they did not have an established profile.

The offer they made to hook the girls was modeling and later, under duress and threats, they continued to use them for the production of pornographic material.

Picado mentioned that in order not to raise suspicions, photography, and video sessions were held in the afternoons at the houses of the accused, motels, or remote hotels.

Initially, they were paid ¢25,000 (US$45) per session, but when they were forced, they stopped giving them money, despite the fact that Solano and Núñez continued to receive money for production expenses.

“The payment was at the beginning, and then everything under threats and coercion. They, through social networks, had all the information of the victims and their relatives, so with the data they exercised control over the girls. In some cases there were threats with knives and in others they said they would harm them or their family members,” said the investigator.

Although three other people were arrested in the raids, the investigation determined that the two photographers were the only ones responsible, who were also convicted of rape, sexual acts and illicit association.

If they have knowledge of a case, people can call 800-8000-645, which is the OIJ’s confidential line. The authorities believe that a complaint can make a difference.

María, who was a victim of the two men for approximately three years, remembers that they both had everything so controlled that they knew who her best friend was, so when they picked her up from school they forced her to say that she would be at her house.

When they did not want to take a photo or were not satisfied with their work, the band used another method of control: the attention of a psychologist, who was the brother of one of the accused and insisted on telling the girls that the photos they were taking in the nude or with little clothing, there was nothing wrong.

“Every time you did this type of photography he (the psychologist) talked to you as if to try to convince you that this was okay, or that nothing bad was going to happen.

“Once I was depressed, he gave me about two weeks of therapy that was useless, but his role made me feel like I was cool in that network at the same time.

“Just imagine, I was a girl and a psychologist comes with scientific therapies and obviously one will believe it.

“Every time a victim felt bad, they sent him and he talked to you,” explained María, who is currently 20 years old and is a student of Health Sciences.

Her disassociation with the organization occurred with a deception, which she saw as the only possibility to prevent her situation from worsening, since they offered her a considerable amount of money in exchange for allowing the recording of a video while masturbating.

She claims that in order to leave the house she was in at the time she said that she accepted, but it was then when she decided that she never wanted to have contact with those types who had taken advantage of her.

The intimidations did not end there, but to defend herself, she threatened one of the photographers to file a complaint, so they agreed to leave her alone as long as she did not tell.

After that, she decided to break the silence and tell her mother what she was experiencing and, although the first option was to report, she begged her not to do it out of fear, since the group had members in other countries.

However, with the passing of time, she could not recover, so filled with courage went to the OIJ to report.

María never changed her address, but she did move from her school and her cell number varied.

In addition, she stopped using Facebook, and, although she currently has Instagram, she acknowledges that she uses it little because social networks do not seem productive.

Recruiting in public places and social networks

Trafficking in persons is a crime whose purpose is exploitation, in this case it was sexual, but it can also be for labor, irregular adoption or for the illegal removal of organs.

Sandra Chaves Esquivel, from the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Management of the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME) – Costa Rica’s immigration – stated that this crime can occur in the country or in other countries and that the methods used by criminals to capture its victims are variable.

Chaves assures that there are no vulnerable people, but rather conditions that make trafficking groups take advantage of the circumstances.

For example, consider a myth that only low-income people become victims, since there are times when the offer of a trip, an invitation to an activity, among others, can trigger the crime.

She stressed that age is an important factor, since 15-year-old does not believe the same as at 25, so this is sometimes taken advantage of by criminal networks.

“When there is an organized network, there is preparation to search for victims, that is, that in the group they are merchandise captors, it sounds very ugly, but in human trafficking, the human being is simple merchandise, so they study the profiles very well. .

“In the social network there is data of where she lives, where she studies, where she eats ice cream on the weekend, friends, the person’s emotional state, among others, which is why, if they are well organized, networks choose those profiles and attack from there, it is very easy to do it because they have a lot of information on people’s profiles.

“The other way to choose their victims is through a study, in which they look for the highest condition of vulnerability of people. We have had recruitments in churches, where there is a person who takes advantage of people’s testimonies to recruit them,” Chaves emphasized.

She added that the deceptions usually come with job offers, whether in modeling or other areas.

Erick Lewis Hernández, head of the OIJ’s Specialized Section Against Cybercrime, stressed that social networks are a double-edged sword, because they have too many uses for the population, but they also host personal data.

He recognized that there are those who create job offers or virtual businesses and that facilitates the criminal’s access to data.

“The information that the victim often puts on their social networks is used by the criminal to profile and gradually try to gain confidence until they reach what they really want,” he said.

According to Hernández, groups dedicated to human trafficking are often organized, where there are people with established functions such as the recruitment, transfer and threat of victims, in which one or two people are in charge of all the work.

There are also cases such as the R-INO, where there are members in various countries with a leader who gives orders remotely and only occasionally visits to verify how the business is progressing.

Women are vulnerable populations, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Francesca Tabellini, assistant project specialist with emphasis on human trafficking in the Mesoamerica Program of the IOM National Office for Costa Rica, explained that 73% of women (23% underage girls and 50% over 18) have levels of vulnerability against 27% men (7% children, 20% adults).

She indicated that, sadly, there are cases in which a person can be a victim of trafficking throughout their life, taking into account that they become invisible.

“We have statistics on global trafficking cases that exceed the millions, together with the migrant smuggling, arms and drug trafficking, as one of the most lucrative businesses in the world.

“We know that for every victim that we are able to uncover, there are many more that unfortunately, we will never know, that they are cases that will never come to light because they are invisible.

“This is a very complex crime and an extremely lucrative business, it generates a lot of profits worldwide, which is why these networks are very sophisticated and make a person, sadly, be able to stay in that situation of human trafficking for life, if we did not succeed as an institution that can effectively escape,” explained Tabellini.

María stressed that it was her courage and her desire that other girls did not go through what she did that she denounced and acknowledges that moving forward, after what she lived, has been a personal decision.

She emphasizes that in her case there were never any economic or social problems that made her connect with the group and she asked other victims not to be afraid, because there are always people who will help them.

In her case, they were the judicial investigators and a psychologist. So for her, the Judiciary is an efficient institution that really cares about helping people who come to report.

“I tell parents never to let children use social media alone, because they are very innocent and family support is important. You really don’t have to trust anyone.

“My message to the victims is that although sometimes we feel alone and we think that because of what happened to us, no one will accept us, that thought is a mistake, it is possible to get ahead and fulfill dreams. Sometimes, it is very heavy to live from the past and to continue with our normal lives and meet goals, we have to put that chip aside, “concluded the young woman.

In the future, she hopes to run a campaign or some group that has to do with human trafficking, but for now she is focused on her career and moving on with her life.

From La Nacion: Joven víctima de trata de personas: Banda tenía un psicólogo y él me hacía creer que todo estaba bien

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Criminal judge disrespects sanitary vehicular restriction, ensues police chase

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Rico
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The vehicular restrictions are from 7:00pm to 5:00 m on weekends and from 10 pm to 5 am weekdays. Image for illustrative purposes

The Ministerio de Seguridad Pública confirmed that a criminal court judge disregarded the sanitary vehicle restriction and fled, after being stopped at a police checkpoint at 8:10 pm on Saturday.

The vehicular restrictions are from 7:00 pm to 5:00 m on weekends and from 10 pm to 5 am on weekdays. Image for illustrative purposes

This is a driver, surnamed Fernández, 31, who, according to the police report, was driving a grey Kia vehicle,  with a passenger, when he was asked to stop, asked for his ID and job letter to exonerate him from the sanitary vehicle restriction.

On weekends, the sanitary vehicle restriction extends from 7 pm to 5am, the reason why, on their way through the 25 de Julio citadel, Hatillo, the officers asked the judicial officer to stop.

“Learning that he was violating the sanitary restriction, he flees, heads eastbound, then takes Circunvalación, enters Hatillo 3 against traffic, along the fair’s boulevard and continues to flee towards Sabana Sur,” says the police report

The report continued that the driver then entered the area of ​​Sabana Oeste, on Calle Morenos, and entered a condominium near La Nunciatura, in the parking area.

At no time did the police did not lose sight of the vehicle.

Approached Fernández said he was a judge and added that he would not get out of the vehicle. He finally did and was promptly arrested.

The driver, who has served as a public defender and criminal judge in the Desamparados Courts and other judicial offices, is exposed, in addition to the sanctions for non-compliance with the health restriction, charges for disrespect of authority and reckless driving.

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Foreigner committing murder in Costa Rica cannot be denied citizenship

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Rico
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A void in the Options and Naturalizations Law prevents denial of nationality to foreigners with criminal records

(QCOSTARICA) It is almost impossible to believe, but it is so. Officials from the Civil Registry of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) have been forced to go to a prison to hand over Costa Rican nationality to a foreigner who is in prison for homicide.

While Costa Rican society is a victim of criminality, the country’s laws are so outdated and so contrary that they prevent foreigners with criminal records on national soil from claiming Costa Rican nationality.

This situation was revealed by the l Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) and the Civil Registry of the TSE to legislator Gustavo Viales, president of the Legislative Commission on Security and Drug Trafficking.

The legislator said that officials from these institutions came to his office to request the commission propose a reform of the Ley de Opciones y Naturalizaciones (Naturalizations Law), which dates to 1950.

The legislator did not specify how many cases the TSE has had to grant Costa Rican nationality to a foreigner with a criminal record in recent years.

Currently, foreigners in the country who want to apply for Costa Rican nationality are only required to have their criminal records from their country of origin, but not from Costa Rica.

This is stipulated in the (Naturalizations Law.

“It is inappropriate to request good behavior in your country of origin, but it is not requested in Costa Rica, the country in which you are applying to reside. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones has had to go to a prison cell to hand over Costa Rican nationality to a person who is there for murder. If this crime had been committed in his country of origin, he simply would have not been given nationality, it seems to me a huge contradiction. There is no impediment to this happening, the law has been very outdated, since the 1950s,” said Viales.

The proposal aims to reform article 15 of this law by adding a subsection. According to the text, Costa Rican nationality would not be granted in the following cases:

  • When the applicant is from a nation at war with Costa Rica.
  • When it is judicially verified that the applicant has been convicted as a social, political or religious agitator, inside or outside the country or that it has been convicted abroad for that type of activity or for crimes of fraud, theft, fire, falsification of currency or of credit titles or by others of equal or greater gravity, according to the penalties established in our repressive Code or in the special laws for such crimes.
  • When it is judicially verified that the applicant has had a relationship with international trafficking of narcotic, psychotropic, “inhalant” substances or chemical substances destined to the manufacture or dissolution of narcotic drugs, in accordance with the crimes established by law.
  • When the applicant has been convicted in the national or foreign justice system for the commission of a criminal offense or for crimes with penalties exceeding three years or more, according to the crimes established in our legal system or in the special laws for such delinquencies.

The proposal adds that “in the event that the applicant has pending legal proceedings, inside and outside of Costa Rica, the pertinent legal measures will be taken in order to order the suspension of the naturalization process until there is a firm and final judgment. ordered by the respective Courts of Justice”.

“With this proposal, what we want is for there to be greater control when a foreigner wishes to opt for Costa Rican nationality. Currently, only the fact of marrying a Costa Rican person should not constitute a direct route to Costa Rican nationality, mainly from the perspective of national security. Another series of transcendental requirements must be analyzed, such as the crime record abroad and in the national territory,” said Viales.

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Two women will be the first to marry in Costa Rica on May 26

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Rico
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(QCOSTARICA) Same-sex couples in Costa Rica will be able to marry as of May 26, when a judicial provision that authorizes these marriages will enter into force, although it will not have the party climate expected by the containment measures of the new coronavirus.

That day there will be a “commemoration” that will begin on Monday night with a live broadcast on Trece Costa Rica Television (channel 13), broadcast on social networks and other channels, with a historical review of the fight for equal marriage and greetings from international and local personalities, according to the executive director of the Sí Acepto Costa Rica, (Yes I accept Costa Rica) campaign, explained Gia Miranda.

The broadcast will include the first marriage between two women at 12:01 am Tuesday.

“Before the pandemic we had a big party planned nationwide,” said Miranda.

A 2018 ruling by the Constitutional Chamber will take effect on Tuesday, and the sexual diversity community is preparing to celebrate the first marriages with virtual parties, in compliance with sanitary measures against the spread of Covid-19.

“Same-sex couples have waited for many decades for the recognition of their rights on equal terms,” said Luis Salazar, LBGTI Presidential Commissioner for the Population.

“They pay the same taxes as any other citizen, they have the same obligations under the law, but sexual orientation became a discriminatory condition to deny them their rights,” the lawyer and activist claimed.

His comment pointed to an attempt by conservative legislators to ask the Constitutional Court, the same court that gave same-sex marriage the green light 18 months ago to reform the Family Code to allow same-sex marriages and are now seeking an indefinite postponement of the entry into force, arguing that they need time to legislate on it.

The president of the Legislative Assembly, Eduardo Cruickshank, supported the request, noting on social networks that he was “committed to defending the family as established and pleases our Heavenly Father.”

International right

Salazar recalled that in 2000 the Constitutional Court (Sala IV as it is commonly referred to) urged the Legislative Assembly to legislate on the subject, and since 2010 bills began to be presented, none of which came to be voted on.

“There is a lack of political will, there has been no interest in safeguarding the rights of the LGBTI population,” said Salazar.

The issue gained new prominence in Costa Rica when in January 2018 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) issued an advisory opinion, at the request of the country, in which it determined that a homosexual couple has the same marital rights as a heterosexual couple.

Based on that resolution, Sala IV declared the Family Code rule that prevents same-sex marriage unconstitutional and gave the legislature 18 months to draft new regulations and in the event that the Legislature did not legislate on the subject, as it happened, the equal marriage would automatically take effect when the term expires on May 26.

Miranda recognized that there is a fight that continues from the entry into force of equal marriage to educate the population.

Back in November 2019, The Simpsons “came” as tourists to Costa Rica where they could see that there is respect for same-sex couples.

“A legal change does not imply that there is a social change, but it is an enormous advance, a wonderful milestone in the history of Costa Rica,” she said.

In her opinion, the change implies that “at a legal level we are no longer going to have second-class citizens,” and with this, all families are going to be protected under the law, regardless of how they are made up.

She indicated that there are more than 1,140 LGBT parenting (homoparental in Spanish) families in Costa Rica, according to the 2011 census, and the legal change implies that their children will no longer be unprotected under the law.

“We have to turn the page, we have to understand that this has nothing to do with religious beliefs, it has to do with basic rights,” Miranda said.

About the broadcast

Trece Costa Rica Television (Channel 13) says the transmission will take place on May 25, from 9 pm to 11 pm, prior to the entry into force of the change in legislation, and will be broadcast on television through its television signal, costaricamedios.cr and Facebook Live. I

n addition, this virtual event will be broadcast on the social networks of the Sí Acepto Costa Rica campaign.

The broadcast has the support of the Canadian and Dutch Embassies and will be carried out in accordance with all the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health on COVID-19 for television broadcasts.

 

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Coronavirus in Costa Rica: 12 new cases in the last 24 hours, six of them are minors

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Rico
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This Sunday, May 24, 12 new cases of Covid-19 coronavirus are registered in Costa Rica, of which six are minors, according to the case report issued by the Ministry of Health.

The infants are stable, according to information from the institution’s press department, although no further details were given. In the last 24 hours, the number of minors who have been infected with the deadly virus increased from 58 to 64.

To date, 930 confirmed cases of Covid-19 are reported in the country, with an age range of three months to 87 years.

These are 432 women and 498 men, located in 70 of the 82 cantons.

A total of 620 people have already recovered, aged between one and 86 years.

Deaths remain at 10, one woman and nine men.

15 people are hospitalized, three of them in intensive care with an age range of 29 to 64 years. In the last 24 hours, a 66-year-old patient left the ICU.

 

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Costa Rica will randomly test for Coronavirus

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Rico
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(QCOSTARICA) Supermarkets, barracks, hairdresser salons, churches, nursing homes, Ebáis and other sites in high social risk areas will be used for the random sampling of Coronavirus.

This is a strategy that the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) will implement during this month, according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.

Each week 30 samples will be taken in the 36 high social risk communities across the country, the Caja reported.

Since May 1, 2,344 samples have been taken, of which three have tested positive.

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“Are you an idiot?” my father asked me (Part II)

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Randy Berg
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“You’re an idiot!” Part Two… a continuation… I honestly don’t think that the vast majority of people that move to Costa Rica, whether full or part time… truly know what they are getting into.

Basics are just that… basics … and almost everyone gets them right.

People in general buy into the “pura vida” lifestyle and what great people Ticos are.   They believe because they want to believe.

But hold off on that sentence for a moment…

After buying our land… we basically looked at each other and said “what do we do now?”

In the States we would simply hire a builder and he would handle everything from A to Z.

Not in Costa Rica.

So we had to educate ourselves first…

We found out from a local expat that owned a Bed and Breakfast in our town what the procedure is … and least “roughly”… and we also got a referral for a builder from Wady  ( remember?  He was our first guide and setup our original purchase of land and our first rental ).

Meet Arturo, a transplant from Venezuela who married a local girl from Grecia.   He was our builder.

Rhonda designed our house… but we needed to have the design put into the proper format for permitting purposes.

I was glad to give the construction work to her… she is mechanical… I am non-tech AND non mechanical.

She and Arturo got along famously considering neither totally understood each other.

And construction is one area where newcomers are viewed as “easy marks”.   If you read much about Costa Rica and building your own home… you will read horror stories galore.

It was an education.

Neither of us had ever built a house… and we were stunned at how everything was reduced to basics… primarily because no one could really afford luxuries like cement mixers or laser sights or even ANYTHING resembling a power tool.   It was the way it was “back home” probably 60 or 70 years ago, maybe more.

But everything went amazingly well.

We weren’t necessarily shocked because we just assumed that everyone else did what we did.

Nope.

People were shocked when they found out what we ended up paying.

We actually had people knocking on our door asking if they could see our home… and local online papers and writers stopped by for information and the biggest shock was Newsweek wanting to do a story about us.

They did. ( they called it “Running Away to Retire” )

It wasn’t exactly the most exciting news of the year but considering that we had done something which , up until then, most gringos had failed miserably at.   Luckily, it is different now… well, most of the time.

Then… we invited my parents down.

Dad was apprehensive and even asked if the house had running water.   This is a guy who had his ship sunk in WWll and survived in freezing water for half a day.

When he saw our house…. He was speechless… literally.

He went through every inch of the house and couldn’t believe that everything was custom made and everything was basically done by hand.

Then he apologized.   And then he actually had tears in his eyes and could barely get out a “I am so sorry… this is beautiful and I am sorry that I doubted the two of you.”

Now… this doesn’t happen today like I described.    Gringos and home builders are a common occurrence and nearly two decades have gone by… but…

Some things never change…. Because most contractors or builders will always find ways to make more money off of those who do not know “how things really work.”

And I firmly believe that over 90% of all people that build in CR overepay substantially.

No one could believe what we built our home for… in fact , even our neighbors would stop over and rave.  ( well, part of the reason for it too, was that Rhonda loves bright colors… Ticos don’t ).

Even today, real estate and construction are two of the most common purchases by gringos and sadly, most gringos have no idea what they are doing and what is a fair price and what is not.

Do your homework.

Other customs and everyday occurrences that might shock or blindside you:

Before proceeding I will tell you point blank that most of you will think I am lying…  people want to believe that Costa Rica is the promised land and everyone is honest and forthright.

Sorry, but there are warts and pimples even in paradise.

And when I write this I am always reminded of a song that I heard when I attended a banquet when I was graduating from college… it was really more of a roast and a “going away” but with tongue in cheek.”

Three people sang a song that one had written and it was entitled and dedicated to all of those “couples” that were intending to get married after graduation… It was called “you have pimples on your butt, you are nice.”

You get the idea.

Well now, 50 years after my graduation that song is still bouncing around in my head but it now applies to Costa Rica.

Moving on…

Here are some of the most common irritations that most gringos list their first few months in country:

  • Waiting in lines… Ticos seemingly have the patience of Job… they do not mind in the least and seemingly retreat to a corner in their brain where they are entertained. It is a miracle.    Accept it or move… because this is one attribute that most gringos wish they had.    And the lines never get smaller.
  • Why do many Costa Rican businesses have three people for every one job? Notice when you are in one next time…
  • Ticos are horrible drivers… REALLY horrible. Drive defensively everywhere you go.
  • Many businesses, when totaling up your purchase will overcharge you… sometimes it is a conversion mistake but most of the time they will add in a few extra dollars ( or more ). Check your own bill.   Just make sure.   This is one “wart” that people really don’t believe … just be aware and get used to it.   It happens to everyone.
  • Many Ticos think gringos have “money trees” back home… in other words, no matter if you have nothing more than a social security pension or you have just purchased an ocean liner… this is really another touchy issue because many Costa Ricans will deny it but you would be surprised how many locals do NOT realize that an ATM is not a place where money is printed for gringos only. Accept it and be firm.

You should NOT be embarrassed about having money.    Be generous but don’t be taken advantage of.

  • Real estate … if you really truly want to know how you will be overcharged 99% of the time and not even know it… ask for a copy of my book “The Greater Fool Theory of Real Estate in Costa Rica”
  • Should you rent before you buy? Well, we didn’t and no, we are not sorry but a lot of people are… very sorry.   Costa Rica has so many climates and geographies that you will think you are in a perpetual Kodak Minute.
    One of our favorite things to do is to take a drive to a place we have never been before… because you can drive anywhere in the country and back in a single day ( granted, some destinations make for a VERY long day… but you get the idea.  This is one point where I can say, without any hesitation, that the country puts damn near anywhere else to shame.   It really does.
  • There IS pollution in Costa Rica… and you would really think that all of the emphasis on pura vida and the emphasis on renewable energy and much more… that pollution is minimal. It is not.   There is crap everywhere and it is accepted… It IS getting better… but just don’t be shocked.
  • I know that this one likely will not surprise too many people but do not be surprised at how much almost everything costs … I am still shocked if I order a typical Costa Rican meal ( a casado ) and I am handed a bill for over $10.    In the States it would be $5… honest.   Gas is still $5 a gallon as I write this and no one has said boo… most of the money from gasoline purchases (surprisingly) goes to the government.
  • Many people have a “fantasy island dream” of how Costa Rica SHOULD be based upon readings, websites and advertisements from the government. Face it, “no military”, pura vida, biodiversity,  absolutely stunning scenery almost around every corner, friendly people… the list is a long one especially if you are surfing from website to website.  Reality is not someone else’s opinion, it is yours to make it what you wish.    Take your time.
  • There IS crime here… most is petty. Take steps to protect yourself.
  • A few more things in closing… Tico drivers are maniacs, drive defensively ( I had to say it again ) … there IS corruption ( probably less than “back home” … but it exists and yes bribes are commonplace )… there are weird insects and poisonous ones too… ( they ain’t going away either… get used to them )
  • Eventually you will see that Costa Rican law is different than almost everywhere in the States or Canada. And it is also considerably different when the courts hand out sentences.   They are remarkably lenient and if the country ever wants to attain LESS crime, they will have to raise terms of sentencing… Face it, 10 years for a murder is not exactly a crime deterrent… or suspended sentences for theft.

Take the small amount of information that you don’t believe, with a grain of salt… accept that there will be things that drive you crazy and accept that you will probably lose a few dollars ( or more ) in a business transaction because everyone does…

Do NOT be surprised that everything is not Nirvana or a perfect world.

Rhonda and I have been here nearly two decades and we have seen all of the “bad stuff” that I mention here… and more.

But in all honesty, from both of us… we would not live anywhere else.   The beauty surpasses anywhere else as far as we are concerned… and the variety, the fauna and flora… and even all of the P.R. that we see in press releases or advertisements…

In today’s world… it is where we belong.   And there is nowhere else that we would rather be than in Costa Rica.

Especially in today’s world.

Read “You’re an idiot!” Part one here.

 

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Joel Campbell and his wife light up social networks with a super-sensual photo

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Luis Morales
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Fernanda Mora, the wife of Costa Rican footballer Joel Campbell, published a hot photograph with her sweetheart, which raised the temperature of her followers on social networks.

In the spicy image the couple is shown very serious and sensual.

“Loving in the nude, without appearances, without exceptions, without rancor, without fear,” wrote the striker’s wife on Instagram

Immediately comments to said photo said things such as: “Café con leche”, “Fotaza”, “I love them”, “Fotón”, “You are perfect”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Amar al desnudo … sin apariencias , sin excepciones , sin rencores, sin temores ❤️

A post shared by Fernanda Mora (@fer_m08) on

We are used to the couple sharing photos on their social networks, but this one takes it to another level.

Very well for them, the human body is the most natural thing that exists. Let the envious bite their tongues.

 

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Panama Chamber of Commerce stresses caution in phased re-opening

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Panama’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP), has underscored the phased reopening of the Panama economy when on Thursday, May 21, during the inauguration of its new board of directors the new president of this union, Jean Pierre Leignadier, emphasized the need to proceed with caution with the gradual opening of the companies.

He highlighted the need for a Constitutional Reform, especially in the Justice System and legal certainty as a requirement to attract investment.

He also highlighted the need for the Legislative Body to avoid politicking and take its role in creating

From Newsroom Panama

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Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health investigating “atypical case” of coronavirus

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Rico
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(QCOSTARICA) The Ministry of Health is investigating an “atypical case” of coronavirus in Costa Rica, where a patient tested positive for the first time for covid-19 on March 27, was discharged and who was positive again, continuing to suffer from a lack of smell and taste.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, 8 samples were taken from the “atypical case” patient between March 27 and May 14, of which 4 were positive and 4 negative. (Image for illustrative purposes)

“There is an important fact and that is that this person never regained the sense of smell and taste. Those were two symptoms that manifested from the beginning of the diagnosis and have remained until today,” explained the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas.

According to a timeline provided by the Ministry of Health, the person tested positive for the first time on March 27. On April 9 a sample was taken to see the evolution and it was negative; however, a new sample, 24 hours later, was positive.

On April 14, a new sampling was performed and it was negative; 24 hours later it was positive again.

On April 21 and April 22, both tests were negative, the patient was declared recovered.

However, the patient maintained a loss of smell and taste and presented a fever. On May 14, a new test performed and it was positive.

“As of April 21 and 22, samples are taken and both are negative. On May 14 this person has a fever and is tested and it is positive,” said the Minister of Health.

The Minister said that it is unlikely that it is a new contagion, but that it could be due to an error in taking the samples.

The Minister assured that they will remain cautious with the case and will carry out all possible examinations to determine what happened to the patient, including complementary tests and tracking of the people who participated in the taking and processing of the two tests that gave negative one month ago.

“There is a good chance that it is not due to infection again; however, this is under investigation because there may be some condition in the taking of the sample, in the processing, and that will be under study and everything we can gather at the evidence level to see how we can guide the classification of this atypical case,” said Salas.

 

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One month grace for Riteve inspection for May and June

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Q Costa Rica
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(QCOSTARICA) Vehicle owners whose vehicular inspection (Riteve) comes up in May or June will have a one-month grace period.

That is, for vehicles with license plates ending in 5 they can drive without being sanctioned to the end of June and plates ending in 6 to the end of July.

The measure is part of the strategies taken by the Ministry of Transport and the Road Safety Council to provide assistance to Riteve stations, in the face of the threat of the spread of the Coronavirus.

“It is important to remember that we have been taking these types of actions since the start of the pandemic. In the case of Riteve, a grace period had already been granted to the owners of the vehicles that had to attend the review in April,” explained, Rodolfo Méndez, Minister of Transport.

This decree does not cover those vehicles who were to have been inspected in March and previous months.

Vehicles are required to be inspected at least once a year (taxis twice, for example) and based on the last digit of the license place, ie 1 is for January to 0 for October.

Not having the current vehicle inspection is subject to a fine if caught.

To have your vehicle inspected, an appointment is necessary and can be made online at https://www.rtv.co.cr/obtener-cita/ or by phone at 905 788 0000. A text message will confirm your appointment.

On the day of the inspection, important to arrive a few minutes early and you must present your current driver’s license, title deed and identification.

Pets and weapons are not allowed in the inspection line.

Due to the pandemic, only the driver of the vehicle can be in the inspection line and remain in the vehicle at all times.

 

 

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Coronavirus in Costa Rica: Seven new cases for a total of 918

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Q Costa Rica
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The Ministry of Health reported this Saturday seven new cases of Coronavirus, for a total of 918 since the first case was reported on March 6.

These are 425 women and 493 men, of whom 757 are Costa Rican and 161 foreigners, with an age range of three months to 87 years.

By age, there are 860 adults (of whom 49 are seniors) and 58 minors.

There are 607 people who have recovered, fifteen are hospitalized, of which four are in intensive care.

The number of active cases is 301.

The number of deaths remains at 10.

For all of the latest numbers click here.

 

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Tourist cars will have automatic extension until July 17

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Q Costa Rica
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All temporary import certificates of vehicles for the tourist category are automatically extended until Friday, July 17, 2020, due to the national emergency due to the Coronavirus, the National Customs Service (Servicio Nacional de Aduanas) reported.

The objective of this measure is to extend the term to facilitate the procedure for tourists and Costa Ricans residing abroad.

With this provision, those who have temporary import certificates for vehicles that are about to expire should not go to the Customs offices to carry out the renovation, to avoid crowding and meet the standards established by the Ministry of Health.

For the extension to be applied, the vehicles must have up to date the Compulsory Automobile Insurance (SOA), whose payment can be made, in any authorized agency of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros.

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Despite call not to, cyclists disrespected the minister and took to the streets in groups

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Rico
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(QCOSTARICA) The long arm of the Minister of Health reached out to a number of cyclists who decided to disobey the order not to ride in clusters.

At the beginning of the week, Dr. Daniel Salas, called on cyclists not to repeat what had occurred over the weekend, cyclists riding in groups and not respecting the recommendations of social distancing.

Minister Salas sternly warned that they would be fined. And this exactly what happened this Saturday morning to a group of cyclists who turned a deaf year to the Minister and were met by officers of the Fuerza Publica (national police).

On the Florencio del Castillo highway (San Jose – Cartago), a group of cyclists were stopped for circulating improperly,

The call from the Ministry of Health to the cyclists was clear, but some became deaf and the Traffic Police acted forcefully, in non-compliance with sanitary measures due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus COVID-19.

Although the fine was not for riding in clusters, the rules of traffic rule of no cyclists was enforced.

The Traffic Act (Ley de Transito) prohibits cycling on highways with speed of 80 km/h or greater, such as the Florencio del Castillo, the Prospero Fernandez and all other sections of the Ruta 27, the Circunvalacion (Ruta 39) and the General Cañas and Bernardo Soto (Ruta 1), among others.

“Indeed we have a control in Florencio del Castillo. This is a matter of always, it is a matter of traffic law. The circulation of bicycles has always been restricted on routes where the circulation of 80 km/ h or more is allowed. We are alarmed to see that circulation is increasing considerably in sections where it is restricted for speed reasons,” Alberto Barquero, deputy director of the Policia de Transito stated.

Cyclists who fail to comply with the measures are exposed to the seizure of the bicycle and a fine of more than ¢53,000 colones. Should authorities decided to apply a violation the Health restriction, the fine could be ¢450,000 colones.

Despite the tough words of the Minister of Health, a strong police presence on the highways, mainly to enforce the vehicular restrictions (today all even-numbered plates 0-2-4-6-8 are restricted from circulating between 5:00 am and 7:00 pm and all vehicles from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am), the Policia de Transito, Fuerza Publica and Ministry of Security report cyclists riding in groups on many of the highways and local roads.

On Monday, May 18, Minister Salas, was clear, ” you can go out pedaling, but with people who make up the same “social bubble”. If we persist in this type of activity of bicycle conglomerations, we are empowered to fine them with a base salary (¢450,000 colones) and I do not want to get there,” said the hierarch.

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27 March 2026 - At The Banks - Source: BCCR

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