Europe will be reopening its borders to foreign visitors on July 1st, but it looks like the United States will continue to be banned due to the mishandling of the COVID pandemic. What if Costa Rica chooses a similar plan for reopening? The US has the highest number of coronavirus infections and COVID-19 deaths in the world, and the numbers continue to rise daily. Should Americans be allowed into Costa Rica given the risk involved in admitting them? Costa Rica will be announcing their verdict this Friday. That decision is a powerful one.

Tourism accounts for roughly 8.2% of Costa Rica’s GDP, with some 3,139,008 international visitors arriving last year in 2019. 500,000 tourists came from Europe, 235,000 from Canada, but the biggest influx by far came from USA with 1.3 million adventure seeking Americans. Because the US was late to begin anti-coronavirus protocols and continues to have difficulty getting its citizens to use masks and physical distance, it is easy to see why Costa Rica is reluctant to admit such a threat to its public health system and citizens. Canada has managed to flatten the COVID curve, and the number of cases and deaths continues to trend downward.

Costa Rica is likely to be making its decision based on objective, scientific criteria: the number of new infections per 100,000 people, and the US’s overall response to the pandemic including testing, surveillance, treatment, and contact tracing – all of which indicate how well the virus in the United States is under control. Many have criticized the US for its poor handling of each of these issues. Countries such as Russia, India, Brazil, Mexico, and perhaps England and Germany may also have to wait until a future date to be permitted to enter.

If Costa Rica opts for a tiered opening, with a review every two weeks of how the virus is being controlled, how will that work? Obviously, masks will be mandatory in public (already going into effect this Saturday), temperature checks will be required at airports and in ports, physical distancing will be encouraged, hotels will operate at less than capacity – as well as restaurants — and hand hygiene will be mandatory for entry into public spaces. Both Ticos and Europeans have adjusted well to these new habits, but Americans have been recalcitrant in adopting these new protocols.

A vital question to consider is if Europeans are ready to travel abroad just yet. Their economy has been decimated by the coronavirus – like Costa Rica’s – and travel budgets have suffered as a result. It is a tough decision to pack into crowded airports and airplanes to reach one’s travel destination. It might just be easier to wait until next year when there may be treatments and vaccines. Americans will probably have more time to ponder that decision, as travel experts don’t seem to anticipate seeing Americans back until the end of the year.

Costa Rica seems to be wisely making its decision regarding reopening based on health implications, not economic challenges. The economic hardships for Ticos are becoming overwhelming, especially for those living on the coast. Breakdowns of tourist spending by nationality are scarce, but experts seem to believe that European spending alone will not be enough to save this tourist season, and may not be enough to save up to 40% of the tourist industry. The situation is dire.
Friday at midday the Ministry of Health and government officials will be announcing the next phase of reopening, including the airports and international travel. This will probably be the most anticipated press conference of the year in Costa Rica. Everyone should listen closely to what is said by authorities

We will be covering the developments as soon as information is released.

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