The official Surfside POA General Assembly will be held at The Shack on Saturday, January 20th. First call is at 9:00 a.m., second call is at 10:00 a.m.

Here in Surfside, Costa Rica we have two seaons. Warm and rainy or hot and dry.

The Directors of the Surfside Property Owners Association have developed a plan to install CCTV cameras on public roads throughout the community in an effort to discourage break ins and theft.

Businessman Hubert Gysemans , founder and former president of the Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (Caturgua), died in a traffic accident at 5:30 pm  Thursday, Dec  29th in Cartagena de Santa Cruz while driving a 2008 Mazda CX9 vehicle.

There are still a few of us who remember the original Flamingo Marina before it closed in 2003.

The 360 Splendor del Pacifico, aka 360 Flamingo, is a marvel overlooking both beautiful Flamingo Beach and the Potrero Bay, home of the new Marina Flamingo Project.

Florida Ice and Farm Company (FIFCO) has confirmed that they have fired approximately 500 people, just weeks before Christmas.

The Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia restarted scheduled flights this Saturday, September 5, upon receiving its first flight with passengers from the United States of America, after 170 days of closure due to the Covid19 related health emergency.

Once again the government leaders of Costa Rica have changed their mind on policy at the last minute, although they have their reasons.

Minister of MOPT Luis Amdor has announced a new decree that vehicles found to have a dangerous defect during the vehicle's technical review (DEKRA) will have to be towed from the DEKRA facilities and their license plates will be withheld until the defects are corrected and they have received approval to circulate.

The National Insurance Institute (INS) has announced a plan to eliminate the annual renewal of Marchamo stickers from cars, motorcycles and public transport.

As of this Wednesday, the Health Surveillance Directorate (Dirección de Vigilancia de Salud) registered 97 cases of Malaria in the Huertar Caribe regio, of which 56 are male patients and 41 are female patients.

Dr. Rodrigo Marín, director of the Health unit, reported that 42 cases are reported in the canton of Limón, 52 in Pococí, two in Matina and one in Siquirres.

The authorities took a series of immediate measures to try to contain the outbreak, with the work of 50 officials:

• Systematic active search for malaria cases, prioritizing the town of Moín
• Prophylactic treatment supervised by the Ministry of Health
• Application of rapid tests for the diagnosis of malaria (PDR) in all CCSS health establishments in the province of Limón
• Application of PDR in communities with the appearance of positive cases of malaria, through ATAP and health inspectors
• Supervision and training of health facility personnel by an expert regional team.
• Integrated vector management through fumigation with an ultra-low-volume machine to reduce mosquito densities.
• Development of risk communication strategies in an integrated manner between the CCSS, the Ministry of Health and the Municipal Emergency Commission
• Strengthening of the laboratories in the area to expand the capacity to carry out diagnostic tests for malaria.

Along with the visits that the medical teams are making, the Ministry of Health asks the population in these areas to go to the centers if they have symptoms related to malaria.

Those conditions are:

• intermittent fever
• shaking chills
• abdominal pain
• fatigue
• diarrhea
• nausea and vomiting
• headache
• fast breathing
• fast heart rate
• cough
• Muscle pain

In Guanacaste we remain in the dry season, however people should take time to focus on the removal of potential mosquito breeding sites, such as keeping drinage ditches clear of debris, eliminating potential sites of standing water, and clearing gutters that may be clogged with leaves.