Too Quiet in Tamarindo

Like everyone in the world, we have been watching the evolution of the Coronavirus pandemic over the last couple of weeks. Our emotions and thinking have evolved over time. At first, we focused on the facts and were determined not to react with emotion and fear. We looked at the stats and wondered why people were freaking out and buying all the toilet paper. It’s impact was far less than the annual flu or a number of other things that kill people every year. We shrugged. We even scoffed a little.

Then things started to change. Concerts were cancelled, events with 250+ people in attendance were prohibited and the numbers of cases and deaths in Italy started to climb exponentially. A couple private schools just outside Tamarindo closed for a week, but people laughed it off as if it was a typical overreaction of those schools. We followed the news and tried make sense of it all. We saw the hype and the misinformation, but tried to stay rooted in logic. We googled “Costa Rica Coronavirus” and were relieved to find that there we no cases anywhere in Central America. We felt protected. This may be a problem, but it was affecting other places. And, surely it would be over by June when we plan to return.

But, each day brought something new and surprising. The first case was diagnosed in Costa Rica, numbers started to climb in the States, most countries in Europe were now severely affected. Events with 100 or more were now prohibited. School districts were closing for extended Spring Breaks. TIDE Academy, the boy’s school in Tamarindo, announced that is was going to start two weeks of online school. Prevention is good, we told ourselves. We continued to try to be measured in our thinking and reactions.

Then things started to get a little crazy. Our good friends who have been in Africa on a Fulbright Fellowship since August were told they should leave (three months before they had planned). For a brief couple of days, they were thinking maybe they would spend the next couple months with us in Costa Rica. That would have been amazing fun, but a couple days later the Costa Rican government said that no more foreigners would be allowed to enter the country after March 18th. So, that plan was off. Panama closed it’s country to tourists, thereby canceling our April trip to Bocas del Toro and our plans to renew our tourist visa. Still, we told ourselves that the numbers were low here and known cases were focused in the middle of the country.

And then things got crazier. Back in the Oregon, restaurants, bars and businesses started to close or limit service by choice or governmental decree. Allowed gatherings were reduced to 10 people. School closures were extended until April 28th. Restaurants in Costa Rica were told to operate at half capacity and keep all tables 6 feet apart. Cases in Costa Rica started to jump. In one week, they went from 23 to 50.

When we were at Rio Celeste this past weekend, I started to talk to the boys about the importance of washing hands WITH SOAP, using paper towels to open bathroom doors and generally trying not to touch door knobs. They claimed that they always wash with soap (liars). Sam said he would not touch door knobs and Gus scoffed at the suggestion and irritatingly started to argue with my facts. Amid our amazing weekend (see post below), the thought crossed my mind a couple times that coming to a touristy location for the weekend may not have been the best idea given people land in San Jose and then head to the mountains to visit Arenal, Monteverde and Rio Celeste. But, we were already there and were generally keeping our distance from others.

We were thrilled our friends from Oregon made it in before the ban and were able to visit us in Tamarindo. This meant so much, especially since Matt’s family was no longer coming and future visits by others was starting to seem unlikely. Seeing faces from home is the very best tonic and we were ecstatic they were here. They had flown into San Jose a couple days prior and came to visit us after a brief stop in Arenal. They wore masks and used hand sanitizer on their flight, so they had been cautious. I put out a bottle of Purell on our bar and instructed the boys to apply it a couple times a day. Their first day here, Gus came down with a low fever for about 24 hours, so we made him stay in the condo until he had been fine for a day. I noticed I had a light scratch in my throat and my nose felt a little stuffy. I never would think twice about these minor illnesses, but suddenly I was on alert. And, in retrospect, we were probably not as cautious as we should have been. We hugged hello and goodbye and Sam slept with his best buddy and was generally glued to his side for their entire visit. Fingers crossed.

Since their visit and increased focus on social distancing, we have basically been “sheltering in place.” We talked to the boys about the importance of keeping others safe and keeping our distance. I can see the worry on Sam’s face, while Gus continues to claim that he is invincible. Herd immunity means nothing to him, he has the self obsession typical of adolescence. Luckily, we call the shots and have decided that, at least for a time, we are not seeing friends here, so no play dates and no gatherings with other families from TIDE. We naturally keep our distance from others at the pool, so it feels like we are mostly being good citizens. For Matt and the boys, I think they thought “sheltering in place” meant video games all the time.

But, I made a plea for balance. We have to get outside, move our bodies, and try to continue to enjoy this place. Thankfully, Matt is on board and we are working toward a loose schedule. Boys did their first week of online schooling, which seemed to go pretty well. Not surprisingly, Sam is way ahead on his work and Gus is arguing that he has lots of time still to get it done (not sure we are going to survive the teenage years, sigh).

Over the last few days, we have watched people staying in our condo building pack up and leave. Others are cutting their stays short and are leaving a few days early. Two groups arrived about three days ago, right before the ban. But, they will likely be gone in a week or so. We have been into town most days this week and the continued departure of tourists is more apparent with each visit. Tamarindo is clearly in virus preparation mode. Restaurants are limiting table usage. Matt saw people handing out virus prevention fliers on the beach. A new sign went up outside the super market.

Frankly, Tamarindo is growing far too quiet for my comfort level and I am trying to imagine what is going to be like in a couple weeks when the last waves of tourists leave. It’s honestly getting pretty eerie here. As I have mentioned in other posts, I really need social interaction and am worried about getting lonely.

We continue to watch the news and continue to be surprised by something we learn everyday. Yesterday, the US State Department suggested that US citizens should return to the US while commercial flights are available, unless they are prepared to stay ‘indefinitely.’ Yikes. While, I don’t want to come home now. I do want to come home in June as planned. Today, Panama closed its airports for people coming in and going out for 30 days. We have started to talk about if there is a scenario that would make us want to come home early. But, of course, it’s complicated. We feel like it is SAFER here. There aren’t many people around, and there are about to be less. There is automatic social distancing at the beach or at the pool. We have health care coverage here through our travel insurance and health care back at home will not start until June 1. We had planned on a five month adventure and still really want that full experience. We aren’t ready to come home. (I should clarify that Matt and I do not want to come home. The boys would love to, as missing friends is very hard for them.) Plus, we do not have a home to come back to. Our house in Portland is rented through May and maybe through June. It seems likely that things will be on lock down here for at least most of the next month and June is still two and half months away. We hope that things will be much improved by then and we will be able to return as planned, but the uncertainty is unnerving.

In the meantime, we are trying to get what we can of this time together. We are getting out, hanging out at the pool, swimming, watching sunsets and walking into town. This weekend, we are going to work on our Spanish and play What Animal am I? in Spanish. There are plans to surf and play poker. We are doing our best to enjoy this beautiful place, amid all the chaos.