No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeLatin AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America agrees to regional plan vs. coronavirus; Costa Rican film festival...

Central America agrees to regional plan vs. coronavirus; Costa Rican film festival suspended

Central American leaders agreed Thursday to formulate a regional contingency plan to deal with the new coronavirus pandemic.

The agreement, adopted after a teleconference meeting of members of the Central American Integration System (SICA), was signed by the rulers of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Only the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, did not sign the agreement for reasons that were not explained.

The region has registered cases of the novel coronavirus in Costa Rica (23), Honduras (2) and Panama (27).

Under a declaration titled “Central America united against the coronavirus,” the leaders called on the area’s health ministers to prepare “a regional contingency plan aimed at complementing national efforts for the prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19.”

They also instructed finance ministers to take actions before international financial organizations to guarantee the availability of resources to finance the contingency plan.

The declaration also guided health authorities to adopt actions to guarantee the supply of medicines, medical devices and other materials necessary to treat the pandemic.

Costa Rican film festival suspended

The Costa Rican International Film Festival was suspended Thursday, hours before its opening, due to the health alert for the new coronavirus, organizers reported.

The organization of the Costa Rica International Film Festival said in a statement that it made the decision “in attention to the health alert situation in the country.” Costa Rica has registered 23 cases of COVID-19 in the country.

The film event was slated to run for 10 days with 77 works from around the world, with an emphasis on Central American independent cinema.

The Costa Rican government announced this week the cancellation of all mass events.

However, movie theaters were initially exempt from the restriction, which allowed the festival to remain on its feet, until further restrictions were announced Thursday.

“The heart of our festival is its audience and the interaction it achieves with the creators. This measure is taken in order to protect the health of our attendees and society,” explained Ana Xochitl Alarcón, director of the Center for Cinema.

Trending Now

Meet the Bats of Costa Rica from Tent Makers to Fish Hunters

Costa Rica is home to around 220 species of non-marine mammals. Roughly half of those species, 117 is the current number, are the type...

Costa Rica’s Religious Culture Through the Eyes of a Non-Religious Expat

Costa Rica is the only country in the Americas that has an official religion—Catholicism—enshrined in its constitution. While the Constitution recognizes freedom of worship,...

Costa Rica Reports Surge in Human Trafficking Cases

The General Directorate of Immigration (DGME) has reported 36 confirmed victims of human trafficking for commercial or sexual purposes in Costa Rica during the...

Costa Rica Dismantles Human Trafficking Ring Linked to Tren de Aragua

Costa Rican authorities dismantled a human trafficking network linked to the criminal gang Tren de Aragua, which financed the travel of women from Venezuela...

US Visa Cost Increase for Travelers and Workers Under New Law

United States President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4, introducing a new surcharge for most non-immigrant US...

Costa Rica Overturns Management Plan for Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the General Management Plan for the Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge is unconstitutional. The decision annuls both the...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica