No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica lab offers at-airport Covid tests

Costa Rica lab offers at-airport Covid tests

Laboratorios Echandi is advertising rapid antigen tests at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia, Guanacaste, for travelers who need a negative result in order to return to their home country.

The lab is promising results within an hour for tests taken at the airport.

“Arrive at the airport 4 hours before check-in and receive your Covid-19 antigen test results in less than an hour,” the advertisement reads.

The one-hour antigen test at LIR costs $65. Interested travelers should schedule their test at this link.

“These tests are only authorized for air travel to certain countries, including the United States,” the lab says. “Please have your ticket information and passport ready for verification at the testing site.”

The sample for an antigen test is taken using a nasopharyngeal swab.

Antigen tests meet the United States’s entry requirements. Per the CDC:

Passengers must be tested with a viral test that could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), and transcription-mediated amplification (TMA). 

Antigen tests do not meet Canada’s entry requirements. They are accepted by the UK and Panama.

According to the U.S. FDA, antigen tests detect specific proteins from the coronavirus. They are “more likely to miss an active Covid-19 infection compared to molecular tests” such as PCR.

To contact Laboratorios Echandi, call 2258-4334 or click here. For a list of 130-plus locations that offer PCR tests for tourists, click here. To reserve this one-hour test at LIR, click here.

Trending Now

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Costa Rica Food Culture: From Bar Bocas to Fast Food Chains

Once upon a time in Costa Rica, you could walk into a bar, order a beer, and receive a free boca – a small...

Empty Stadiums and Inequality Mar Women’s Copa América

Nearly empty stadiums, players' criticism of the organization, and demands for equality in South American football have marked the 2025 Women's Copa América in...

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Drowning in Costa Rica Ruled Accidental

The death of American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been confirmed as accidental drowning, according to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). Warner, 54, was...

Costa Rica Opens New Pedestrian Bridge at Guayabo National Monument

Costa Rica has added a new attraction to its archaeological sites with the opening of a pedestrian bridge at Guayabo National Monument. The structure...

Panama Union Leader Saúl Méndez Goes into Exile in Bolivia

The leader of Panama’s main union, Saúl Méndez, accused of fraud and money laundering, left for exile in Bolivia this Saturday. He had taken...
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