The Kamloops-Thompson School District says all students who went to Costa Rica are back home and in self-isolation.

The group of South Kamloops Secondary students left Thursday morning and were heading back the next day.

“That was the organizers of the trip. It was so fluid it happened within just a few hours. Actually the tour company facilitated the return. They reached out to the trip organizer and that’s how it was done,” assistant superintendent Bill Hamblett says.

“I can’t confirm the number of students, but yes, they’re back. They arrived back Saturday at midnight once the call for international travel was made by the federal government. So they returned as quickly as they could, they arrived back Saturday night and now they’re in self-isolation.”

When asked why the school district didn’t pull the plug on the trip, like it did for student trips for Europe, Hamblett says there was no advisory against non-essential travel as of Thursday morning and says Costa Rica had not been a prevalent area for COVID-19.

Hamblett was asked if there’s anything the school district should have done differently.

“No, not at this time. Again it’s a rapidly-changing situation. As you can well see in the media.”

As of this morning, the federal government has significantly cut down travel access abroad.

(Photo: transportationincostarica.com)