As part of an initiative by the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), tourists will now be able to get vaccinated at the Juan Santamaría Airport. The health authorities set up two vaccination centers, one for those who are entering the country and one for those who are leaving. The only requirement for visitors is to present their passport.
“The next two weeks are of high transit of foreigners in our country, this allows us to take advantage of this situation for tourists who wish to be vaccinated when entering or leaving. It is important to highlight that the vaccines used in Costa Rica are safe and have proven to be effective”, explained Randall Álvarez Juárez, Medical Manager of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund.
Free of charge, all those over 5 years of age will be able to receive the doses. Children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
“We will give them a vaccination card with the details of the date of application and the brand of vaccine,” said Olga Martha Chaves Perez, Director of the North Central Region Service Network.
“In addition to the vaccination centers set up at the airport, tourists who wish to get vaccinated at any vaccination center set up in the country upon presentation of their passport. We are currently working to set up more vaccination points in tourist areas”, commented Carlos Rojas Jiménez, who works at the North Central CCSS Service Network.
The managing company of the Juan Santamaría Airport, Aeris, hopes the vaccination service will be highly valued by tourists who, for different reasons, have not been able to receive the drugs in their countries of origin.
According to Aeris General Manager, this was possible “thanks to the public-private partnership, that will continue to help end the pandemic soon.”
Both vaccination centers will be open from April 4th to the 15th, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The first booth is at Customs (where luggage is picked up upon arrival) and the second in the lobby, where tourists pass through before leaving the country.
