Surfing in Costa Rica will resume on May 16. Surfers will be able to hit the waves almost two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Daniel Salas, Minister of Health, announced Monday that the beaches will be open from 5:00 am to 8:00 am and that surfing will be allowed.
“Together with the advisory commission we have evaluated the proposal presented by the Surfing Federation, we have exchanged many criteria and finally we have achieved a rigorous approach, which is adapted to the conditions imposed by the current situation. With this we allow a gradual return of a sport that is key for our country, for its successes and for everything that it also represents in the field of tourism”, explained Hernán Solano, Minister of Sports.
Within the guidelines established, surfers must arrive at the beaches ready to enter the water, likewise, there will be no sharing of equipment, including clothing, and once finished, it is mandatory to disinfect the equipment.
Another important aspect is social distancing of at least five meters must be maintained between people in the water and surfers will not paddle or take the same wave.
Additionally, athletes must carry the card that accredits them as such, issued by the Costa Rican Surfing Federation.
It is also established that if upon reaching a significant number of users, another nearby beach should be found.
“The Surf Federation appreciates all the management that the government has done in the face of the covid-19 emergency. In addition, he wishes to express special thanks to the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas Peraza, and to the Minister of Sport, Hernán Solano Venegas, for their concern and willingness to gradually reactivate the national sport,” Rándall Chaves, hierarch of Costa Rican surfing.
Finally, the protocol establishes that: “if it is identified that an athlete has entered to surf with symptoms such as fever, cough or sneezing, they will be exposed to a disciplinary sanction by the Federation”.
