- Title: Costa Rica conducts mass testing ahead of international reopening
- Date: 27th June 2020
- Summary: SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA (JUNE 26, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LINED UP TO BE TESTED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN TESTING CENTER PERSON GETTING NASAL SWAB AUTHORITIES REGISTERING PEOPLE FOR TEST PERSON GETTING NASAL SWAB AUTHORITIES AT CENTER PERSON BEING TESTED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COSTA RICAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGIST, BRENDA FIGUEROA, SAYING: "(Testing centers) are located in different places in parts of the Pavas community to get a general sample of COVID-19 to be able to detect the greatest number of cases and get a sense of future infections." LOCAL RESIDENT, SCARLET RAMIREZ, WITH HER DAUGHTER AT TESTING CENTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, SCARLET RAMIREZ, SAYING: "First, it's important to know that you don't have COVID, and second to prevent more infections. I think there are a lot of people right now that are infecting people and they don't realize, so I think the mass testing is very important to prevent the spread of the virus." VARIOUS OF AUTHORITIES AT TESTING CENTER VARIOUS OF HEALTH AUTHORITIES SPEAKING TO RESIDENTS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL CASES (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, JORGE CEDENO, SAYING: "We all need to work. They won't let us work here in Pavas at all, and we have to survive, make sure our families can eat, we have debts to pay. Everyone has to take care of themselves as best they can and try to take all the measures to protect themselves, but you can't close businesses, we can't take it anymore." HEALTH OFFICIAL SCREENING FOR POTENTIAL CASES
- Embargoed: 11th July 2020 02:56
- Keywords: Costa Rica airports cases coronavirus countries infections open pandemic reopening test tourism
- Location: SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
- City: SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
- Country: Costa Rica
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001CK5AJ47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Residents in Costa Rica's Pavas district lined up to be tested en masse for the novel coronavirus on Friday (June 26) as the country prepares to begin receiving international visitors again on August 1.
Pavas, the most populated district in Costa Rica, has seen a recent spike in coronavirus cases and the government earlier this month halted its reopening plan to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Costa Rica has had 2,836 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 12 deaths according to local media.
Meanwhile on Friday, the country's Health Minister Daniel Salas said Costa Rica will open its international airports on Aug. 1 to tourists from countries that have "controlled transmission" of coronavirus.
Starting this weekend, Costa Rica will open more public spaces such as movie theaters, shopping centers and beaches in most of the country, Salas said.
(Production: Hector Guzman, Manuel Carrillo, Patrick Alwine) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
