President Oscar Arias appears to be the latest in a long list of Costa Ricans to come down with the A(H1N1) flu virus.

At a press conference Tuesday evening, Rodrigo Arias, minister of the presidency and the president's brother, announced that Arias tested positive for the virus earlier in the day, but that he was in good condition and still on the job, although working from home.

“He's continuing exercising his responsibilities as president of the republic,” Minister Arias said. He said the president began to show flu symptoms on Sunday and today he asked to be tested for the virus after having spent Tuesday morning touring a new call center in Heredia.

He added that the president is being treated with the anti-viral medicine Tamiflu and will spend the rest of the week in isolation at his home in Rohrmoser, west of San José.

The symptoms exhibited by the president include sore throat, headache and fever. The Casa Presidencial described the symptoms as “mild.”

Since it was first detected in Costa Rica in late April, 798 people have been confirmed to be carrying the virus and 27 people have died.

The flu has hit most of the country's seven provinces and has infected people of all ages. Pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable

The colorful downtown artisan market, which features crafts, clothing, bags and other accessories aimed at tourists, has been located along the west side of the Plaza de la Democrácia in downtown San José for over 15 years.

Last Friday, however, the Cultural Ministry and the Municipality of San José informed the artisans that their market would be relocated to a building at the south end of the Plaza de las Garantías Sociales, between Ave. 2 and 4 and Calles 3 and 5.

The relocation decision followed a week of uncertainty for the artisans, who were told on Sunday, Aug. 2, that they were no longer permitted to conduct business along “Calle 13 bis,” the small street bordering the west end of the Plaza de la Democrácia in front of the National Museum.

The temporary closure of the market was ordered by the Culture Ministry, which ousted the artisans after a recent presidential veto of Law 16.377, allowing the artisans use of the street.

The law was initially vetoed in October 2008 and was vetoed a second time in late July. This prompted the artisans'eviction last week.

According to the Cultural Ministry and the municipality, a peace museum will be constructed opposite the National Museum on the Plaza de la Democrácia. The peace museum, which will be operated by the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress, will use Calle 13 bis as a pedestrian walkway and provide access to a parking lot opposite the plaza.

“After 15 years, the president of the republic wants to make a peace museum,” said Victor Hugo Torres, who has worked at the artisan market since its inception in 1994. “We have performed honest, hard work in the same place for all that time, and now we are told we have to leave because of a museum. It seems the president cares more about his museum than he does about his people.”

At a press conference on Friday, the Cultural Ministry and the municipality of San José announced that the artisans market will be moved to a three story,$1 million building to be constructed on the south side of the Plaza de las Garantías Sociales.

Culture Minister María Elena Carballo said that with financial assistance from China, the new market will be a state-of-the-art building called the Frontón.

“This makes the market a thousand times better,” said Carballo. “The Cultural Ministry has made a $1 million investment in the city of San José so that the people can continue to enjoy the public market.”

For more on this story, see the Aug. 14 print and online editions of The Tico Times.

The community of San Pedro de Barva, in the province of Heredia, last weekend received the highest honor bestowed by the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute's (AyA) ecological flag program.

Officials from AyA and the local Rural Aqueduct Association (ASADA) hoisted the white, six-starred “sanitary stamp” flag on Sunday, six years after the community began initiatives to protect its aquifer.

“The raising of this flag represents the hard work of this community to protect its environment,” said Marvin Mora, president of the San Pedro de Barva ASADA

In 2003 the community began planting trees to prevent water run-off, organizing workshops on protecting water supplies, and increasing the collection of solid waste. Since then, 100 percent of the water that has left the Barva Aqueduct has been potable.

The community received one star for each year it maintained perfection and achieved the maximum six stars last week.

ASADA began the white flag program in 1997 to complement the country's blue flag program. White flags are issued to communities that protect aqueducts and maintain potable water for all of its neighbors.

To obtain six stars, an aqueduct must be equipped with a chlorination system and absolutely clean storage tanks. Community members also must organize water education campaigns, plant trees and develop strong waste collection services to ensure the safety of the aquifer's water.

The Culture Ministry and the National Theater suggest a new way to beat the brutal traffic that clogs the streets every day as people leave work: skip it and listen to some beautiful chamber music.

Starting this Thursday, the National Theater will host a new program, “Música al Atardecer,” – or “Music at Dusk” – to offer a calming respite for those tired commuters who would rather avoid the commute and also for those who can't tolerate one more day of being stuck behind the wheel in gridlock traffic, fearing that their tentative grasp on mental stability may be slowly slipping away.

The theme is to “change rush hour into an hour of music,” according to a statement from the National Theater.

The program will begin at 5 p.m. every Thursday. Each program will be 45 minutes in duration and in the beautifully adorned upstairs foyer of the National Theater. On the opening Thursday, audience members will be offered the melodies of Costa Rican pianist Manuel Matarrita.

Tickets for the concerts will be available Monday through Saturday at the ticket window of the National Theater. Tickets cost ¢1,000 each (a little more than $1.50). The foyer can host only 150 audience members, so the National Theater recommends buying tickets early.

For more information call 2221-5341 or visit www.teatronational.go.cr