One of the most common questions that I've gotten since traveling internationally during the pandemic are 'What is the pandemic like over there in Costa Rica?' and 'Are they wearing masks?'
Sometimes I get frustrated because it sounds like people ask it in a way that assumes that the locals aren't, and other times I just realize how busy and stressed people are and that the last thing they would be doing is keeping tabs on safety precautions in other countries. I'm lucky to have an international family, with my sister in Australia, so I'm constantly apprised of how things are being handled outside of the U.S. My international friends have also kept me in the loop, which has overall contributed to this feeling of 'shared fate'. No one is going to escape from the pandemic, no matter what part of the world you're in. We're all dealing with the impacts. Period.
The difference is in how countries have responded to COVID-19, and this is where it gets interesting. How is government funding being put towards developing a vaccine, what do safety precautions look like, etc.? 80% of Costa Rica's tourism is driven by Americans. I remember reading this before taking my first trip back in March of last year. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Jacó, the coastal town nearest to where I stayed. Jacó is dripping with wealth in many ways, with yacht owners to the north at Los Sueños, the nicest and most secluded resort and marina I've ever visited. You could live there and never leave, except to go out grocery shopping. It's common to see golf carts and other ATV-type vehicles cruising around and blaring American music (more on this later). Downtown Jacó is an international destination. You'll often overhear many more languages besides English and Spanish. I noticed more than anything European visitors.
So here's the scoop on what I experienced while in Costa Rica from mid-December (2020) to the end of January in 2021. Please know that things may have changed a lot since the time of this writing.
1. Masks are a thing.
If you don't know anything about Costa Rica, it's important to get one thing straight. On the coast where I was, it's warm. Almost every day that I was there, the low temperature hovered around 77 (25 degrees Celsius) and rose to a high of about 84 (29 degrees Celsius). There were a few days in there that were slightly colder and slightly warmer, with the biggest difference being whether it was rainy and cloudy, humid, sunny, or dry. As such, most retail stores and dining establishments have some kind of 'open air' feature, often times with an entire front door that opens, is a screen with bars, or is right on the beach and is open on both sides.
What does this mean for wearing masks?
Basically any time you're in a retail store, regardless of whether the front is open air or not, you're required to wear a mask. In fact, according to the Ministry of Health, any time you're not in your home by yourself you should be wearing one. Yes, that means when you're out on the sidewalk and on your way to the store. I remember reading this before I came and wondering how many people were following the guidelines. What I found wasn't surprising.
If I were to guess, I would say that about 10% of people walking around in Herradura wore masks, maybe 20-30% in Jacó, 30-40% in Grecia. I can't really explain the difference between Jacó and Grecia. Perhaps it had something to do with the levels of COVID? Or just the nature of the people who were there? Either way, I remember feeling uncomfortable NOT wearing a mask in Grecia walking around downtown because I felt like I was part of the minority if I wasn't. Which is kind of awesome, if you think about it.
It certainly wasn't prohibiting people from getting out and doing their shopping.
I pretty much followed suit. I wore a mask any time I was in a store - most employees wouldn't let you go much farther than the door if you weren't wearing one, and would always have masks available for sale if you didn't. And often when I was in Jacó I wore a mask when walking downtown because you would rub shoulders with the people on the sidewalk when it was busy. But in Herradura, when going out for a jog to the beach or walking to the grocery store, I'd keep a mask in my pocket just in case.
2. What about hand sanitizer? Washing hands?
This was actually one of the coolest things that I loved about being in Costa Rica during this time. I was absolutely FASCINATED by the different types of sinks and hanging bottles of hand sanitizer in the doorways of different establishments.
I felt like maybe 60% of restaurants I went to had a hand washing station, if not a foot-pumped hand sanitizer dispenser, and maybe 5% took your temperature before entering the building (I recall a larger retail clothing store, a wholesale grocery store similar to Cost Co, and a larger chain grocery store). Sometimes I wondered if the heat from the summer sun would throw off my temperature, but I never had that problem. :)
The Ministry of Health was pretty innovative in their messaging and signage to talk about COVID. Even now, when I'm streaming the local radio, they have messages to talk about how students are supposed to find out which days they're in school and which days they have distance learning. I'll never forget the one with younger kids greeting each other and describing how they did it without giving a hug or having physical contact.
I think in many ways, this era is going to be filled with artifacts similar to ads we look back on from the 50s. How families suddenly had access to new appliances at home and convenience products that didn't exist before. Today's artifacts? Commercials about standing desks to work from home. :D Recreational activities you can do with your family without having to be in large gatherings...
Anyways, photos tell a thousand words, so here's a short gallery of photos I took of the different sinks and signs:
3. What's it's like to fly right now?
Surreal. To be honest, I think it was more surreal coming back to the states in January than it was leaving in December. And it could have just been the airport. There was an automated message that would play talking about how you had to wear your mask at all times except for eating and drinking, and that you should wash your hands frequently, maintain a physical distance from others, etc. I felt like I was in a sci fi movie.
The airport itself was kind of interesting. Lots of places with taped off chairs to keep people sitting apart from each other. Different kinds of plastic shields in between you and the cashier. Stickers in the boarding areas so that you were always at least one seat away from the nearest person.
Regarding security, there was one interesting thing where they did a 'bio scan' and basically took a picture of your face without your mask on before you boarded the plane. I'm not really sure what purpose that serves, but it sure was fascinating to watch.
In terms of how full my flights were, it was all over the place. I had one connecting flight to arrive in Costa Rica. Leaving Minneapolis, it was at about 50% capacity. And the second flight was at 100% capacity. The flight attendance would ask people to move last minute to put more space between passengers, but you could tell that it was an imperfect system. Coming back, there were three of us next to each other and an empty row in front of us. But no one asked us to move. I can't imagine how confusing it would be to coordinate that on the back end. As we entered the planes the flight attendants handed us all a plastic bag with a water bottle, a snack, and a sanitizer wipe. I definitely miss the beverage service. For some reason I always looked forward to ordering bloody Mary mix when flying.
Of course, it's incredibly cheap to fly right now. I paid using my rewards miles, but even if I didn't, the flight round trip from MSP to SJO would have been $213. Airlines are hurting. Bad. They can use all the business they can get, so they are extending the time you can use travel rewards miles, lowering the thresholds for meeting their premium flyer levels (such as preferred, gold, sapphire, and all the other 'gemstone' names they use to describe flying with perks), and offering in-flight deals for credit cards with rewards miles offers.
I don't say this to encourage everyone to fly, because I know that it's not a safe or responsible recommendation, but if you have recently had COVID you might have some degree of protection. Most in-country flights require passengers to do rapid tests at home before flying, which provides another level of safety. It's likely that airlines will never fully recover from the economic hit of the pandemic, and that road trips and more local, recreational-type vacations will become the norm, for safety's sake. But I think that ultimately Mother Earth was gasping for air. We were suffocating her with all of our harmful emissions and she's starting to breathe again. :) As much as I love to travel and see the world, I'm more likely now to go for longer trips at a time, especially internationally.
4. Did you have to take a COVID test before going/come back to the U.S.?
I did not have to take a COVID test before departing the U.S. Instead, I had to prove that I met Costa Rica's insurance requirements upon entering customs/immigration. Luckily through my employer I had enough coverage to meet what they asked for. If you don't, they charge you a rate per day based on your age, and then they charge an additional lodging insurance fee to ensure that if you get sick you have a place to stay for 2 weeks for recovery. It can get pretty expensive depending on how long you intend on staying. I can imagine that this is a seriously lucrative business to get into, and I wonder of how many people have purchased the insurance, what percentage of claims have been made?
Returning to the U.S. was a whole different story, as I came back on January 30th, just 4 days after the new CDC guidelines came out. By that time, I had to have proof of negative test results within 72 hours of my flight. It was a bit tricky to find out where I could get a test and get the best price (there are clinics across the country that offer different rates) but unfortunately the closest and most logistically sensible place was very expensive. I paid $130 to have my test taken (note: 3 days includes the day of your flight, so if you're flight leaves on Saturday you take your text on Thursday) in Jacó. For anyone who has done the nasal test, you know that it tends to cause you to cry afterwards. The person who performed my test was not the most gentle. But within 24 hours, I had an email with my negative test results and the option to upload it to the Verifly App, which could have streamlined my boarding process had I been more proactive.
5. Did you get sick?
Not from COVID. Or foodborne illness. But I had a couple of days where I started to get a sore throat, and Alonso and I both think it was mold from his fan. Ha. I'll never forget how freaked out I was and quick to drink 8 water bottles full that first day, going to the clinic to get something for my sinuses, picking up special teas for my immune system...I think that as a result of this whole thing, it's going to be easier for people to justify staying home, taking care of themselves, taking time off of work to feel better, and have it come from a place of responsibility towards others around them instead of feeling guilty. There's also so much more we can do from home now, so that if we feel like something's coming on, we can take preventative measures and reduce the risk of spreading whatever we might have.
6. Were you required to self-quarantine when you got back to the States?
According to the CDC, they recommend all individuals who have traveled internationally to self-quarantine for 14 days following their return. There is no one to enforce this. I was lucky to have had a friend (Thanks John!) who allowed me to leave my car in Minneapolis, so I didn't have to worry about driving in a closed environment with someone else for three and a half hours to get back out to West Central Minnesota. I stayed in a hotel my first night back, ordered takeout for breakfast, and was on my merry way. Unfortunately, the nearest grocery store to where I live did not have delivery service or ordering online, so I went in person. But I think I may have been 1 of 5 people in the entire store, so I felt a bit better about not being in a crowded environment and risking other people's health. Those first two weeks were rough (more on this later), but I survived just fine, and as far as I know, everyone else around me is healthy.
If you're considering traveling abroad this year, here's a couple of resources:
- CDC Travel Guidelines - Best source of up to date information that will impact your travel plans
- U.S. Embassy, Department of State - to find all the local information about what's happening in the country you plan to visit, including safety awards unrelated to COVID, such as protests or other crime
- Lastly, always find a local newspaper you can follow. I often keep this as the first window that pulls up when I open Google Chrome so I can stay up to date with local politics.
That's all for now. More posts to come soon!
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