Chinese community united to help Costa Rica fight COVID-19

Costa Rica has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but luckily it has received quite some help from China as well as the local Chinese community.

A man wearing a mask as the preventive measure against COVID-19 walks on Central Avenue, in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, on April 30, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhongshan city in China's southern province of Guangdong, which has over 30,000 expatriates in Costa Rica, sent three shipments of donations to the Central American country from April to June.

The supplies included two thermal cameras donated to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica to measure passenger temperatures at airports.

Isabel Yung, representative of the Costa Rican Association of Friendship with China, called the donations another example of the friendship between the two countries, saying the thermal cameras could help the country's tourism sector, which has been greatly affected by the pandemic.

The Chinese Colony Association in Costa Rica has donated 100,000 masks, of which 20,000 were N95 masks, as well as 1,000 sets of disposable clothing for medical use, and 100 infrared thermometers to the Mexico Hospital, one of the medical centers designated to treat COVID-19 patients in the country.

The association has also donated hundreds of food packages containing basics like toilet paper, rice, beans, coffee, sugar and oil, which were delivered to the National Emergency Commission (CNE) and the municipality of San Jose.

The efforts of the Chinese community in Costa Rica were hailed by Chinese Ambassador Tang Heng.

"During a pandemic, diseases do not respect borders or nationalities, so today more than ever, we must unite to move forward. We are brother nations and as a community, we want to help, and together we will be part of the solution," the ambassador said.

Sun Yi, political counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Costa Rica, praised the work Costa Rica has done in the fight against COVID-19, saying that "Costa Rica is a model not only in Central America, but throughout Latin America."

"Although at the moment we are suffering another attack of this epidemic, with international cooperation from all countries, we can overcome this epidemic," Sun said.

Costa Rica reported on Friday that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has reached 6,845, with 26 deaths.