Costa Rica on Monday enacted new business and driving restrictions in its populous Central Valley that are meant to reduce Covid-19 contagion at a time when hospital capacity has been saturated in much of the country.
From May 3 through May 9, most non-essential businesses in the Central Valley must remain closed. Businesses outside of that area are not affected by this measure.
In addition, from May 3-31, circulation in the Central Valley will be controlled by a weekday vehicular restriction.
The cantons included in the Central Region are as follows:
- San José province: Acosta, Alajuelita, Aserrí, Curridabat, Desamparados, Dota, Escazú, Goicochea, León Cortés, Montes de Oca, Mora, Moravia, Puriscal, San José, Santa Ana, Tarrazú, Tibás, Turrubares, Vazquez de Coronado.
- Alajuela: Alajuela, Alfaro Ruiz, Atenas, Grecia, Naranjo, Palmarés, Poás, San Ramón, Sarchí.
- Cartago: Alvarado, Cartago, El Guarco, Jiménez, La Unión, Oreamuno, Turrialba, Paraíso.
- Heredia: Barva, Belén, Flores, Heredia, San Isidro, San Pablo, San Rafael, Santa Bárbara, Santo Domingo.
Exceptions to the May 3-9 business closures include: supermarkets, pharmacies, medical centers, grocery stores, caterers, bakeries, butchers, greengrocers, home delivery, agricultural, veterinary and hygiene supplies, banks, funeral homes, hotels and farmer’s markets.
In-person teaching will remain unaffected nationwide, as the Health Ministry cited its benefits to children.
The nationwide nighttime driving ban remains from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The weekday driving restrictions in the Central Region for May 3-31 are as follows:
- Monday: Vehicles with plates ending in 1 and 2 cannot circulate.
- Tuesday: Vehicles with plates ending in 3 and 4 cannot circulate.
- Wednesday: Vehicles with plates ending in 5 and 6 cannot circulate.
- Thursday: Vehicles with plates ending in 7 and 8 cannot circulate.
- Friday: Vehicles with plates ending in 9 and 0 cannot circulate.
The nationwide weekend daytime (5 a.m. to 9 p.m.) restrictions also continue in May:
- Saturday: Vehicles with plates ending in odd numbers cannot circulate.
- Sunday: Vehicles with plates ending in even numbers (including 0) cannot circulate.
The standard list of exceptions to the driving restrictions will continue to apply. This includes those driving to/from the airport, to/from a hotel reservation, to/from work, and rental cars.
Costa Rica on Friday reported 2,609 new coronavirus cases and 911 people hospitalized with Covid-19. Many public hospitals are now maintaining wait lists for ICU beds.
Costa Rica’s public-health system has up to 393 ICU beds available for Covid-19 patients. On Friday, 380 ICU beds nationwide were occupied by Covid-19 patients.
