Claudia

My name is Claudia and I am a forty five year old mestiza woman with doctoral university training currently working at the University of Costa Rica. Public education in the city of San Jose has been negatively impacted due to the lack of access to internet and compatible devices and due to the Ministry of Public Education’s (MEP) inability to to promote SINART which is a public radio and television system. “Currently more than 90,000 students did not return to the educational system after the half-year vacation. Until now it is not clear when the students, who are suffering the negative effects of the confinement very intensely, will return to the classrooms.” I have no car so before the pandemic, I would walk to work and ride the bus back home and occasionally used a taxi. “A very serious problem present in San José, but also practically in the whole territory is the terrible state of the sidewalks or, the lack of them.” When the pandemic began, I continued to walk around and use a taxi. As far as reopening the country, the city of San Jose has seen a lot of bars reopen but a lot of other public spaces still are hesitant to reopen. “The University of Costa Rica is reluctant to open its campuses, thus preventing people from having the possibility of releasing stress, compensating for the increase in weight (a very common problem in the midst of the pandemic in a country where there are already serious obesity problems), in short, promoting physical and mental health.” Tests are available if symptomatic and through the private sphere, if one has the money, one could be tested for a price of $180 to $85 dollars. I think this pandemic will leave an impact on how we implement good hygiene and health practices. “People will hug less, just as we will shake hands much less, the same will happen with the kiss greeting. I think this will not be forever, but in countries where vaccines may not be accessible to the entire population and considering the risk of reinfection, this type of precautionary measure will continue in some sectors of the population.”
“In some way, cities will have less movement and less color.”
“I love the green spaces that still remain in Costa Rica, the old neighborhoods that still maintain part of the original charm and that have not yet been destroyed by a pathological tendency that exists in this country to destroy everything that is considered a hindrance to profit.”