Government to discuss pandemic response with private sector

Government officials will discuss Costa Rica’s pandemic response with representatives of other sectors, in context of new records in hospitalizations and measures that are set to expire.

At this time, “there is no scheduled announcement of measures,” the Presidency says. Restrictions on non-essential businesses in the Central Valley are set to expire Monday, May 10. 

As of Friday, there are 1,175 people hospitalized in Costa Rica with Covid-19, a new high. Intensive-care space in some public hospitals has been saturated.

“Government officials, led by health and emergency care authorities, are holding meetings with various sectors to examine the serious epidemiological situation that the country is going through due to the high levels of contagion by COVID-19,” the Presidency explained.

Representatives from the cultural, business, tourism and sports sectors, as well as the Episcopal Conference and the Evangelical Alliance, have been invited.

“These meetings are intended for health authorities and experts from the Situation Room to detail the complex epidemiological scenario that the country is going through,” the Presidency said. “Likewise, there is dialogue, listening and examining work alternatives that allow acting together to slow down the contagion and alleviate hospital saturation, to save lives.”

If the meetings conclude with a decision to introduce new measures, those will be detailed via a press conference.

The current measures, focused on the Central Valley, began on May 3. At the time they were introduced, officials acknowledged the business closures would not have an immediate impact on Covid-19 case counts or hospitalizations, but they hoped the restrictions would improve the epidemiological situation in a few weeks’ time.