In March 1992, a change in the pensionado law eliminated many tax privileges that retirees had enjoyed since the program started in 1964. Under the old system, foreigners with official pensionado or rentista (permanent retiree) status were required to live in the country four months a year. They were entitled […]
It seems that the more I watch news from the U.S., the worse the situation seems to be getting there. My home state of California is plagued by forest fires once again. Apparently, this is the new normal. Seasonal fires have destroyed hundreds of people’s lives and homes. Add the […]
A couple of months ago I wrote an article about Costa Rica’s national symbols: The coat of arms, the nation’s famous three-colored flag, the Guaria Morada (flower), the Guanacaste tree, the Yigüirro (a type of bird), the national anthem, the oaxcart, the whitetail deer, the torch for independence, the Crestones […]
For the last couple of months I have written about the country’s effort to contain the Corona Virus. As of Friday June 26 there have been a little over 2,000 cases with about half having recovered and only 12 deaths. B utwe are not out of the woods yet. Tourism […]
The crisis caused by the coronavirus has hit Costa Rica’s fragile economy really hard, especially the tourism sector. In response the government has come up with an ambitious plan to raise hemp and medical marijuana to try and heal the country’s economic woes. Other counties that have invested in the […]
Let’s look at why this statement is true. In most cases a developed country is synonymous with its military and economic power. The latter seems to be the criteria used for drawing the line between developed nations and those which are in the process of developing, or as they are […]
It comes as no surprise that numerous travel Publications such as Condé Nast have singled out Costa as one of the places to vacation once the virus subsides. Costa Rica is expecting an onslaught of potential retirees and tourists because of its effective response to the coronavirus pandemic. Both the […]
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services The first confirmed case of the covid-19 coronavirus in Latin America was diagnosed in Costa Rica, a nation of 5 million people that have just over one doctor per thousand people, said the World Economic Forum, WEF, in its report. According […]
DHS S&T’s re COVID-19 (April 13, 2020) results: Virus lives longer at low humidity and inactivates faster at higher humidity; virus lives longer at low temperatures and inactivates faster as temperature increases; Sunlight destroys the virus quickly. Good news for us, bad for the coronavirus. The national weather service, the […]
Despite being one of the countries in the world with lowest covid-19 virus mortality rates, Costa Rica continues to take on the virus. (Only New Zealand, Catar, Island, South Africa, Singapore Australia Omán and Chile are ahead of us). Costa Rica’s Clodomiro Picado Institute of the University of Costa Rica […]