Costa Rica enacts vehicular restriction as hospitalizations spike

The Costa Rican government on Tuesday announced new vehicular restrictions with the goal of reducing mobility in context of spiking coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

From May 19 through May 30, there will be a nationwide daytime vehicular restriction based on the last digit of the vehicle’s license plate:

Costa Rica coronavirus vehicle restrictions for May 2021. via Casa Presidencial.

On dates marked in purple, only vehicles with plates ending in odd numbers can circulate. On dates marked in green, only vehicles with plates ending in even numbers can circulate.

The nighttime driving ban (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.) continues unchanged.

The typical list of exceptions — which includes rental vehicles, people driving to/from a hotel reservation, people driving to/from the airport and people driving to/from work — continues to apply. The official list of exceptions can be found here.

In addition, on May 19-21, driving to/from school has been added as a valid exception to the restrictions. Schools will be suspended or be virtual starting May 24, as was previously announced.

Costa Rica on Tuesday did not introduce any new changes to businesses or entry requirements.

The majority of commercial businesses can continue to remain open with some capacity restrictions, and tourists from all countries can enter Costa Rica via a flight without needing a negative test.

This is a developing story and is being updated.