The Municipal Committee of Emergencies (CME) of Nicoya has prepared two shelters to attend to people confirmed or suspected of COVID-19 who don’t have homes suitable for isolation. For example, they don’t have potable water or live in crowded conditions. The CME also has three more ready in case a flood occurs in the canton.
The municipality’s risk manager, Johan Ajoy, explained that the shelters for COVID-19 cases would be activated at the Leonidas Briceño School, in the center of the canton, and at the Bocas de Nosara Highschool, in that coastal district.
“We considered that in the Nosara area there are many foreigners, it is an area of greater risk. And in the case of Leonidas, [we chose it] because it is in the center of Nicoya and has the most appropriate facilities,” Ajoy explained. “It was coordinated with the directors of each institution and both buildings are ready to host any type of case.”
According to the official, they distributed the pavilions of each educational center to separate confirmed, suspected and asymptomatic cases. The National Emergency Commission (CNE) would provide the mats, food and medical services when required.
The CNE hired companies at the national level that are going to take care of that. Those companies would have to take over immediately if they have to be activated. They have not told us which the companies are, but they are already assigned to be in charge of each building,” said Ajoy.
In less than two weeks, Nosara quadrupled the number of active cases of people with coronavirus. On August 7 the coastal district had only two cases and at this time it has eight.
“People’s concern is huge, more for the cases that have been coming out. All that comes to worry more about what is happening because we almost have the floods,” said Marco Ávila, the president of the Nosara Integral Development Association (ADIN).
The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) forecasts very rainy conditions for the weekend due to tropical wave 30.
On Wednesday August 19, Nicoya reported 34 active cases of people with COVID-19: 20 in the central district, eight in Nosara, three in Mansión and three in San Antonio.
Three more shelters due to flooding
The municipality’s risk manager, Johan Ajoy, assured that the CME and the local emergency committees of Nicoya are alert to attend the usual floods in these months of the year.
According to a previous analysis they did together, they determined that they should set up shelters in the Nosara bull ring, in the community hall of El Torito, Sámara district, and in the gym of the Nicoya sports center.
“Nosara is vulnerable because of the dike and the Hollywood neighborhood because it is always flooded, so the bull ring was chosen for its breadth, space and proximity. El Torito also by the Mala Noche (aquifer), many events also happen there. And at a general level there in Nicoya we have thought of the gymnasium of the sports center as a type of shelter for natural events,” explained Ajoy.
ADIN President Marco Ávila said that the Nosara volunteer team already have their assigned tasks and are ready to activate the shelter as needed.
He added that at least 50 people would join the shelter to receive and accommodate people, cook and clean. They also have 400 mats and the appropriate Red Cross space for the team of volunteer doctors who would provide care if someone requires it.
Ávila estimates that although the bull ring capacity is 4,000 people, due to the emergency of the pandemic, it could house about 1,000.
With covid you have to apply distancing, there is an area for bubbles, three meters by three meters, those that are not bubbles go in another sector and older adults in another sector,” added Ávila.
The CME keeps the supplies for the gymnasium shelters of the Nicoya sports center and El Torito of Sámara in a warehouse in the sports complex. “From there we would distribute to those shelters to have control of them. There we have mats, blankets, newspapers. If something happens we are ready ”, he assured.
The Ministry of Health or the CNE, together with the communal emergency committees, are the ones who would give the orders to activate either of the two types of shelters.
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