No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaCentral American truck drivers caught on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border due to...

Central American truck drivers caught on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border due to pandemic

Under sun and rain, poorly fed and needing to buy water to drink or bathe, Central American cargo truckers have spent days on the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where they were blocked in the midst of a regional dispute over Costa Rican sanitary restrictions in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Here we are in the middle of nowhere, exposing ourselves to being attacked, to plagues of flies, mosquitoes, spiders, everything,” the Costa Rican Mauricio Vásquez, a driver, told AFP while he bathed in front of his truck.

He is one of hundreds of truckers parked in a row along almost 22 km of the Pan-American Highway that leads to the Peñas Blancas immigration post, in the Nicaraguan border department of Rivas.

The crossing was all but closed after Costa Rica detected 50 foreign carriers with COVID-19 and imposed entry requirements to its territory, something that the carriers described as “arbitrary.”

Costa Rica has maintained that its borders remain open, but drivers have waited days for a solution.

They sleep in trucks among the mosquitoes, at risk of contracting dengue, buy gallons of water from locals to drink and bathe, and eat street food.

Spiders, which are abundant in the area, invade their trucks, and to relieve themselves they rent bathrooms or look for a remote place in the brush, in unsanitary conditions.

“Days ago, we were here with my partner, we came with cargo from Guatemala, Colombia and Costa Rica,” says Nicaraguan carrier Henry Soles.

Truckers on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua
(Photo by Inti OCON / AFP)

Agreements on health guidelines

Hope emerged Thursday after the Central American Trade and Health ministers agreed on a series of biosafety guidelines for the transport of goods to prevent the spread of the virus.

According to this agreement, companies and drivers are obliged to adopt “good hygiene practices, personal protective equipment, cleaning of means of transport” and other health measures for the transfer and unloading of goods, the Central American Economic Integration System (SIECA) said in a statement.

They will also carry out “detection of sick carriers at the entry points,” and temperature measurements and symptom control at loading and unloading points.

“If the carrier does not show symptoms of COVID-19, he or she will take the merchandise to its final destination” but “will not be able to remain in the country for more than the maximum time stipulated by the authorities,” SIECA indicated.

While the agreements are being launched, Nicaraguan Red Cross volunteers at the border carry out health checks on truckers, who have expressed their fear of contracting the virus due to the upturn in cases in Nicaragua.

“We have almost 15 days of being here and no trailer has tested positive for COVID,” celebrated Vasquez.

For the Guatemalan trucker Sergio Pérez, the wait has been a pain.

“Look how we are here … there is no bathroom to go to relieve yourself,” he said.

On Wednesday, tensions at the border were compounded when Nicaraguan truckers blocked the access of private vehicles from Costa Rica in protest.

About 90% of trade between Central American countries is mobilized by land transport.

The president of the Superior Council of the Private Company (Cosep) of Nicaragua, José Aguerri, warned on Thursday that the blockade threatens the region’s supplies in the midst of the pandemic.

More than 24,000 Central Americans have been infected with COVID-19, of which more than 660 have died. The countries of the region maintain isolation measures, with the exception of Nicaragua.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Coast Guard Seizes Illegal Gillnets in Protected Refuge

Costa Rican Coast Guard officers pulled nearly a kilometer of illegal gillnets from protected waters in the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge during...

Costa Rican Hotels Warn of Job Risks Amid Drop in Tourists

Hotels across Costa Rica face mounting pressures as tourist numbers dip and a sluggish dollar exchange rate eats into their earnings. From January to...

Costa Rica’s Hyatt Centric Escazú Finalist in GRI Awards

Costa Rica's hotel scene keeps building momentum on the global stage. The Hyatt Centric San José Escazú stands out as a finalist for Best...

Four Arrested in Costa Rica for Suspected Murder of ‘Gringo Tico’

Authorities in Costa Rica have detained four people linked to the robbery and suspected killing of Daniel Francisco Vargas Salas, a 71-year-old man who...

Costa Rica’s Draw Against Honduras Boosts World Cup Hopes

Costa Rica held Honduras to a scoreless draw in their World Cup qualifier last night, picking up a point that keeps their qualification hopes...

Heavy Rains in Costa Rica Trigger Landslides and Floods

Costa Rica faces tough conditions lately from ongoing heavy rains that have sparked deadly landslides and major flooding over the last few days. In...
spot_img
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