Costa Rica to allow U.S. tourists starting in September

Costa Rica will welcome tourists from the United States starting in September, Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura announced.

U.S. tourists will only be welcomed if they are residents of the following states: New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and recently added states of Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia. By September 15th, residents from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Colorado will also be allowed to visit. Passengers must prove their residency in one of those states using their driver’s license.

Tourists must obtain a negative PCR-RT test within 72 hours of their flight and purchase a travel-insurance plan that covers COVID-19. (This can be a pre-approved Costa Rican plan, or a foreign one that meets a series of requirements.)

In addition, all arriving passengers must complete an online health form.

The Costa Rica Tourism Board says that it expects about four flights a week from the airports of Newark (EWR), La Guardia (LGA) and John F. Kennedy (JFK). All are located in the New York City area.

“In these moments, [New York] is one of the states with best control of the pandemic,” Segura said.

Airlines can operate routes to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) near San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia, Guanacaste. It will mark the first commercial flights to LIR since Costa Rica imposed its border restrictions.

Segura said Costa Rica is analyzing the coronavirus situation in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, and that residents of those states may soon be allowed to visit Costa Rica.

Read the full articles: Original Tico TImes Article & Update to Tico TImes