A beach in Costa Rica. – JOLY OLIVIER
A nightmarish vacation. A group of sixteen French retirees, six of whom are hospitalized, remained stranded in Costa Rica on Friday evening because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Guy Poirot, the president of the association which organized the trip, told AFP.
The group was originally made up of 22 retirees from La Poste and the Orange group, aged “from 60 to 77”. They left Lorraine on January 16 for ten days in Central America. First six travelers, then twenty tested positive after their return, scheduled for January 27, was postponed because of the tightening of health standards for entry into the Netherlands, through which they had to transit. Two members were able to leave first, followed by four others, via Madrid.
Can’t tell when they got infected
Seven of the tourists who remained there were hospitalized, the embassy said. Today there are six, plus the Costa Rican guide of the group. Three are hospitalized in intensive care at San Juan de Dios Hospital in the Costa Rican capital, two of which are in “very serious” condition, said the president of the association. The other three, including Guy Poirot, saw their state of health improve and were admitted to an establishment for patients with milder symptoms.
For the ten remaining travelers who tested positive but did not suffer from severe symptoms, it is the confinement in hotels that is expensive. Because the 2,000 dollars for accommodation covered by the insurance are exceeded. In order to promote the resumption of tourist activity, Costa Rica no longer asks its visitors for a negative PCR test since October, who must, however, take out insurance covering medical and accommodation costs in the event of contagion.
It could not be determined whether the travelers were infected in the country or whether any of them were already carrying the virus.