2020 in Costa Rica explained

Events in the year 2020 in Costa Rica.

Incumbents

• President: Carlos Alvarado Quesada
• First Vice President: Epsy Campbell Barr
• Second Vice President: Marvin Rodríguez Cordero

Events

• 2 February – 2020 Costa Rican municipal elections including 2020 San José mayoral election
• 4 February – A Costa Rican judge nullifies a same-sex marriage between two women and fires the Civil law notary who performed the marriage in 2015.^[1]
• 7 February – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights provides US$4.1 million for Nicaraguan and Venezuelan asylum seekers in Costa Rica.^[2]
• 15 February – Authorities in seize a record five tons of cocaine worth $130 million in the port of Limón.^[3]
• 6 March  - COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica: The first case of COVID-19 in the country is confirmed. The individual was a 49-year-old American woman who had arrived on a flight from New York on 1 March and did not exhibit symptoms at the time. She was isolated in a San José lodging along with her husband who had also been in contact with infected persons in New York.^[4]
• 13 March – COVID-19 pandemic: Leaders of Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic sign an agreement for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. It includes canceling the Costa Rican film festival.^[5]
• 18 March  - COVID-19 pandemic: An 87-year-old man becomes the first COVID-19 death in Costa Rica.^[6]
• 28 March – Panama and Costa Rica fail in attempts to move thousands of migrants from Africa, Asia, and Haiti amassed in shelters as a precaution against COVID-19. Costa Rica has 295 confirmed cases and two deaths.^[7]
• 26 May – Same-sex marriage in Costa Rica: Costa Rica becomes the first country in Central America to legalize same-sex marriage.^[8]
• 28 May 28 – COVID-19 pandemic: Legislative leaders from Costa Rica meet with their counterparts from nine other Latin American countries to discuss a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[9]
• 24 August – A 6.2 M earthquake centered in Pochotal de Garabito, Puntarenas, is felt throughout the country. No damages are reported.^[10]
• 15 September – Independence Day: Before a reduced crowd, President Carlos Alvarado praises health workers, "today's heroes".^[11]
• 18 September – The government proposes a tax increase and austerity measures in order to get US $1.75 billion in aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).^[12]
• 15 December – Costa Rica builds an emission-free wooden ship capable of transporting 350 tons of cargo.^[13]
• 16 December – COVID-19 pandemic: Costa Rica approves the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and hope to begin applications in the first trimester of 2021.^[14]
• 23 December – “Afro-Latino Travels With Kim Haas,” a TV series honoring Afro-Latinos and highlighting Costa Rica, premiers on PBS.^[15]
• 24 December – COVID-19 pandemic: Vaccination begins.^[16]

Deaths

• 9 September – Henrietta Boggs, American-Costa Rican writer and socialite, former First Lady, subject of First Lady of the Revolution (b. 1918).^[17]
• 9 October – Teresita Aguilar, 87, politician, Deputy (2005–2006).^[18]
• November 29 – José Rafael Barquero Arce, 89, Costa Rican Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Alajuela (1980–2007).^[19]

See also

• 2020 in the Caribbean
• 2020 in Central America
• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season

Notes and References

1. https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2020/02/04/alerta-anulan-matrimonio-entre-dos-mujeres-en-costa-rica/ Marriage annulled between two women in Costa Rica
2. Web site: CNN en Español. ACNUR asigna US$ 4,1 millones para atender a nicaragüenses y venezolanos solicitantes de asilo en Costa Rica. es. OHCHR allocates US $ 4.1 million to serve 87,190 Nicaraguans (80%) and Venezuelans (7%) seeking asylum in Costa Rica. Juan Carlos Paz. 8 February 2020.
3. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/historic-seziure-costa-rica-breaks-record-with-five-ton-cocaine-bust 'Historic seizure': Costa Rica breaks record with five-ton cocaine bust
4. Web site: Costa Rica reporta primer caso de coronavirus en Centroamérica en una turista estadounidense. 2020-06-19. www.americaeconomia.com. es.
5. https://ticotimes.net/2020/03/13/central-america-agrees-to-regional-plan-vs-coronavirus-costa-rican-film-festival-suspended Central America agrees to regional plan vs. coronavirus; Costa Rican film festival suspended
6. Web site: Confirman primera muerte por COVID-19 en Costa Rica Crhoy.com. 2020-06-19. CRHoy.com Periodico Digital Costa Rica Noticias 24/7. es.
7. https://news.yahoo.com/migrants-central-american-limbo-coranavirus-012751085.html Migrants in Central American limbo as coronavirus relocation plans falter
8. Web site: Harmeet Kaur . Costa Rica becomes the first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage . CNN . 26 May 2020 . May 26, 2020.
9. Web site: Parlamentarios de América Latina intercambiarán propuestas para contener el coronavirus en la región . infobae . May 25, 2020 . es-ES.
10. Web site: Se registra sismo de 6.2 grados en Costa Rica . www.msn.com . 24 Horas . August 24, 2020.
11. News: El presidente de Costa Rica destaca a los héroes de la salud en el Día de la Independencia . Sep 15, 2020 . infobae . Infobae . September 15, 2020 . es-ES.
12. News: Costa Rica propone más impuestos y austeridad en negociación con FMI . Sep 18, 2020 . www.msn.com . Reuters . es.
13. News: Zero-emission wooden cargo ship takes shape in Costa Rica . December 15, 2020 . msn.com . AFP . December 15, 2020.
14. News: Costa Rica y Panamá aprobaron el uso de emergencia de la vacuna contra el coronavirus de Pfizer . December 16, 2020 . infobae . Infobae . December 16, 2020 . es-ES.
15. News: Afro-Latinos in Latin America, Caribbean is the focus of this travel show . December 22, 2020 . NBC News . December 22, 2020 . en.
16. News: Latin American countries begin COVID vaccine roll-outs . December 26, 2020 . aljazeera.com . Al Jazeera English . December 24, 2020 . en.
17. https://www.crhoy.com/obituarios-crhoy/murio-la-exprimera-dama-henrietta-boggs/ Murió la exprimera dama Henrietta Boggs
18. https://www.crhoy.com/nacionales/fallece-a-los-87-anos-teresita-aguilar-presidenta-del-conapam/ Fallece a los 87 años Teresita Aguilar, presidenta del Conapam
19. https://www.nacion.com/el-pais/servicios/muere-monsenor-jose-rafael-barquero-obispo/KLQJKXH6DRBBRNHVLDBNPGQR24/story/ Muere monseñor José Rafael Barquero, obispo emérito de Alajuela