Although it does not give up on diplomacy, Costa Rica is taking measures to prevent the social-health crisis in Nicaragua from impacting our territory.
For example, covid-19 testing is now mandatory for cross-border truckers, with emphasis on the northern border with Nicaragua.
Those truckers who test positive (or refuse to submit to testing), may not enter. The Ministry of Health reported over the weekend nine truckers tested positive. They were denied entry.
In addition, a large number of law enforcement officers have been mobilized at the borders – for weeks now – to prevent the illegal entry of foreigners.
The Minister of Security, Micheal Soto, announced on Friday that those providing transport to migrants or illegals will face severe penalties, including shutting down businesses who provide the vehicles.
Although in their summary of the border controls, Costa Rican officials not mention Nicaragua by name, the majority of efforts and resources is dedicated to the northern border.
Minister Salas confirmed that he is in constant communication with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America (Comisca) about the regional situation and the particular case from Nicaragua.
He said that they have advocated “having much greater access to information and what would be the actions that should be taken.”
In Nicaragua, the Health measures issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) have not been promoted or implemented by the administration of Daniel Ortega; in fact, the government promotes massive activities and insists that everything is safe and that all is normal.
As of Monday. Nicaragua officially reported 16 confirmed cases of the covid-19 and five deaths. Numbers that have not changed much in weeks.
Unofficially, the non-governmental media report the existence of thousands of infections and dozens of deaths that are not included within the official data, as well as the alleged intimidation of the population in the sense that, if they say that their relatives died from the new coronavirus, the police would not deliver the bodies to them.
Despite, his detractors and even his former minister of health denouncing the risk of disrespecting the measures in the midst of the pandemic, in a public appearance, President Ortega said the situation is under control and that recent deaths are associated with “atypical pneumonia” and not with COVID-19.
