By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica

Prominent newscaster to a famous virologist: “Doctor, how long do you think this pandemic will last?”
Doctor: “How would I know? I’m not a politician.”

With the many emails I receive from dear clients trying in vain to set some travel dates either in or out of Costa Rica, often to coordinate with submissions dates for their residency applications, I empathize with that doctor. But there are events and intrigues in the U.S. and here in Costa Rica that provide predictive indications of change.

When it comes to travel restrictions, the tug of war remains between Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health, and the near flatlined tourism industry. For different reasons, each requires serious life support. Which takes priority? Lockdowns to protect less than 1% of the population from the possibility of an untimely death if infected by COVID – or – more deaths from economic depletion after the COVID curve levels off.

With no social-economic safety nets in Costa Rica as in the U.S., Canada, and the E.U., the economic effects of shutdowns, including loss of U.S. tourism, are far more immediate and severe. That resulted in escalating pressures from the tourism sector (and other private businesses) on the Congress, (which has more power than the presidency.) To placate these businesses, while at the same time, carefully calculating infection rate patterns and critical care capacities, there was a lifting of travel restrictions on many countries other than the U.S. Then recently, restrictions were lifted on some North Eastern U.S. states with “acceptable” recovery rates. (I.E., Rates better than Costa Rica.) More U.S. states will be approved as their infection rates fall in the next weeks.

My son-in-law is a front line Physician’s Assistant at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. I speak with him daily. Since March, he has chronicled how NYC borough hospitals all went from Hell to crickets chirping in three months when it comes to COVID. Since Costa Rica’s critical care facilities are proportionately much smaller than NYC, it stands to reason that the COVID “curve” cycle here needs to be extended out much farther through restrictions and lockdowns. So rather than a 3-month cycle to diminished infection rates, it will more likely end up being 7 to 8 months, which will bring us into October – November before things loosen up here.

Plan your travel logistics accordingly. Best guess.

Unfortunately, the recently lifted travel restrictions came with a couple of poison pills in the form of onerous insurance demands, and often inaccessible COVID screening tests that could not be older than 48 hours ( Now changed to 72 hours) before boarding flights inbound to Costa Rica – plus quarantine rules. Result? Low ticket sales by various airlines from Canada, the E.U. resulted in many canceled flights. Empty planes are expensive to fly.

As of September 15th Costa Rica will now reopen to 12 US states.

So while it is easy to be cynical, that balancing act is, without a doubt, tough. We hope for the best outcomes for all just as quickly as is safely possible. Stay in touch with the nearest Costa Rica embassy to you and your airline of choice for the latest interpretations of travel regulations when planning inbound trips to Costa Rica.

Concerning the backlog of residency applications awaiting submissions, the Department of Immigration (and the Fingerprinting Center) is scheduled to re-open to the public on September 18th. At the same time, the Costa Rica Minister of Health has calculated national infection rates to peak in mid-October. The current trajectory based on weekly increases in infections would indicate his prediction accuracy. Therefore, the September 18th for Immigration and Fingerprinting opening to the public may prove overly optimistic.

If that date holds, let’s just say it will be a pleasant surprise.

Never the less, if and when the Department of Immigration opens, to maintain social distancing, there will be changes to procedures and access. The daily intake of legal professionals and private individuals submitting all those backlogged residency applications, as well as renewals of Rentistas, Vinculos, and Inversionistas, will be a fraction of the former norms where it was a first-come, first-served situation. This means that it will take many weeks to process all the backlogged applications. Scheduling your submission date will require patience and careful planning.

Bookmark The Costa Rica Star website https://news.co.cr/ and keep checking back daily for updates.

In the meantime, please abide by all social distancing and safe practices. Masking is the law. Your attitude is a choice. Also, be sure to eat your veggies and fresh fruits. Your immune system will thank you for it.