Happy Friday from The Tico Times! Here’s the news you should know today.
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Costa Rica confirmed 1,422 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday and 1,219 on Thursday for a cumulative total of 128,231. Health authorities say 1,599 people have died in Costa Rica related to COVID-19; 214 people are in intensive care, representing 60% of the country’s capacity.
The heads of several political factions — National Liberation (PLN), Christian Social Unity (PUSC) and National Restoration (PRN) — voiced their dissent to new or increased taxes. President Carlos Alvarado and other Costa Rican authorities are debating how the country should best face its financial crisis. More via La Nación.
Costa Rica is reopening Turrialba Volcano National Park starting next month. The park has been closed for eight years due to dangerous volcanic activity. Welcoming visitors is expected to help spark economic reactivation in the area. Read more here.
U.S. health authorities are recommending against Thanksgiving travel, and many states have instituted quarantine or test requirements for returning residents. This could have a negative impact as Costa Rica’s tourism high season approaches. We explored this topic here.
Soccer writer Jon Arnold analyzed the region’s men’s national teams following the international break. His conclusion? The Mexico-US duopoly is back, and Costa Rica has plenty of unanswered questions about its football future. Read his report here.
Friday weather forecast, per the National Meteorological Institute: “The passage of tropical wave # 53 is expected through the country. Given this, it is expected that the main impact on it will be concentrated in the Caribbean and the North Zone, where there will be cloudy skies and rains of variable intensity in the morning and early afternoon. In the afternoon, isolated showers are expected in the Pacific. In the case of the Central Valley, a predominance of partial cloudiness and drizzle is expected mainly in the mountains.”
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We’ll have more news throughout the day, so keep checking The Tico Times home page for more.
