How is Jaco After 6 Weeks of Being Shutdown?

Editorial 

Excited to share stories from Jaco

Costa Rica is a unique country that holds a special place to most who have traveled and experienced all that it offers.  For many, Jaco has become a second home where many foreigners have moved here full time, while others visit the area frequently.  Its small town community vibe, combination of amenities, conveniences and nature, all while offering a diverse demographic of both locals and expats from all over the world is to me what make it the reason that so many people connect with Jaco.

The coronavirus has all of us all over the world talking, but it also has us checking in.  Checking in with loved ones, checking in on the news, checking in on the markets, everyone wants to know what is going on with people or places they care about.  So it is really no surprise that all of us in Jaco are receiving questions from those who are not here in town.  That is really how and why I decided to start The Jaco Times.  Truth is I’ve had the idea for a long time, some sort of medium to share local news and the great, positive stories of Jaco and the Central Pacific.  There are so many interesting stories in this area that have not been shared.  Inspiring stories that might help motivate someone to change their life by finally making that big move or start a new business (like how Augstin Munoz went from hustling photo CDs on the beach to becoming one of Costa Rica’s most respected photographers.  Countless feel good stories of community members helping each other.  Or self improvement tips from real people who transitioned and are living what they preach, like Anabel Miranda and how she went from the rat race to yoga master.  These are the stories we want to to tell, all while highlighting and proudly showcasing the amazing place Jaco IS!

So yeah, that’s our vision for The Jaco Times.  We encourage you to follow us on Facebook to stay updated with articles.  If you have an idea or suggestion for a story please don’t be shy. But for now, lets get back to all those people asking about how Jaco is doing during all this.

The Jaco area has seen little outbreak with just over 20 confirmed cases and most of those now recovered.  The entire country continues to recieve accolades for how well they have handled the pandemic.  Daily new cases have typically been in single dates for over 2 weeks now, with total cases still under 800 and at one of the lowest mortality rates in the world with only 6 deaths so far.

It has been roughly six weeks since both local and international tourism has been shut down in Jaco.  As you can imagine it is pretty quiet.  Vacation rentals and hotels are still virtually empty and/or shut down.  In the past week we have started to see many restaurants to open back up with limited seating, hours and other restrictions. Overall the tone from Jaco residents and business owners all seem to be on the positive side.  Everyone seems to be realistic with the challenges ahead and while most aren’t thrilled, there doesn’t seem to be a deep sense of stress or panic.  As you can see from recent articles, there are many groups and individuals working to help those in need during this time, which I think is really making a big difference.  The most disgruntled groups seem to be the surfers.  Understandably, they are frustrated that they can’t merely go out in an empty ocean and do their thing.  Along with the surfers, the rest of us anxiously await the May 11 update from the government as they announce revising restrictions.  The Health Minister has his concerns about the beaches because he anticipates San Jose residents all coming in droves.  Based on how cautious they are handling things and comments they have made, we anticipate them opening parks, beaches, and driving restrictions gradually so that local tourism can be controlled and built back up a slower pace.  The Minister has made it clear that borders and international tourism is farther down the road, which leads me to speculate that it could still be a minimum of 2 more months until we see borders open back up.  In the meantime, like the rest of the world all of us in Jaco are taking day by day and continue to just keep things positive, fortunately, two things that are community seems to be pretty good at.