Costa Rica's Proactive Response To Latest CDC Announcement

Image: Tropical Costa Rica (photo via Collette) (Provided by Collette)
Image: Tropical Costa Rica (photo via Collette) (Provided by Collette)
Lacey Pfalz
by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 3:55 PM ET, Wed January 13, 2021

With the recent news from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requiring all inbound passengers to the U.S. to be first tested negative for COVID-19 prior to flying, many countries will have to start implementing new procedures for travelers.

One smart country, however, had anticipated this decision and already had a plan.

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute shared that it had been working for some time with Ministry of Health-certified private laboratories to administer the RT-PCR tests throughout the country for tourists. The plan will allow any travelers, including those from the United States, to be able to purchase a test for around $100 USD.

In December of 2020, 52,027 tourists traveled to Costa Rica by air from North America, the majority of those being from the United States.

Because the majority of the tourists have been from the United States, this new testing program will be crucial to continue to maintain the upward trend in tourism the country has had for the past two months.

It is unclear as to when this new program is to begin implementation.


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Lacey Pfalz

Lacey Pfalz

Associate Editor

Lacey Pfalz is Associate Editor at TravelPulse. She's a passionate advocate of responsible travel and believes the best travel experiences happen outside of a planned itinerary. Lacey currently lives in rural Wisconsin. She can be reached at [email protected].

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