Expats are Leaving Costa Rica to Avoid the Vaccine Mandate
What is the end goal to this country hopping?
I am American by birth and Costa Rican by heritage, and I’ve spent about half of my life in Costa Rica. I’m in Costa Rica right now.
Growing up, I always saw that Costa Rica was more socialist than the United States. Costa Rica has no army. They have universal healthcare, free education, and a strong desire to protect the environment.
And so, when the pandemic occurred, I figured that eventually, Costa Rica would require the vaccine. It made sense to me considering what I knew about Costa Rican values.
However, in the expat groups I belong to, there’s a stirring. Last year, I noticed Americans and Canadians staying in Costa Rica because their home countries began to implement vaccine mandates. But Costa Rica did not yet have enough vaccines for everyone, so it made sense that there were no mandates in early 2021.
The supply was not there.
There seemed to be a misconception, from the far right and the spiritual left, that Costa Rica would not implement a mandate. But the moment there were enough vaccines, the mandates began.
Again, as someone with Costa Rican relatives and who has spent considerable time here, this was…
