No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaDecree signed: Costa Rica to mandate Covid vaccine for many

Decree signed: Costa Rica to mandate Covid vaccine for many

President Carlos Alvarado and Health Minister Daniel Salas signed a decree mandating the Covid-19 vaccine for Costa Rica’s public-sector workers, authorities announced.

The mandate takes effect as of Friday, October 15 and applies to all public-sector officials as well as “employees of the private sector whose employers, within their internal labor provisions, choose to incorporate such vaccination as mandatory,” the Presidency said in a statement.

Repercussions for individuals who do not abide by the mandate are “the responsibility of the employer … in accordance to the country’s legislation and institutional regulations,” the decree reads.

The mandatory nature of the Covid-19 vaccine was first announced September 28 after it was approved by Costa Rica’s National Vaccination and Epidemiology Commission.

“The Commission made the decision based on epidemiological variables such as the number of Covid-19 cases, the mortality of the disease, the increased circulation of the Delta variant and the high hospital occupancy, which is impacted to a greater extent by patients who are not vaccinated,” the Health Ministry said at the time.

Costa Rica has already mandated the coronavirus vaccine for Health Ministry workers, Costa Rican Social Security Fund employees, the Red Cross and others who work in patient care.

Costa Rica has about 325,000 public workers, per a 2019 report, though the pandemic has increased unemployment.

Costa Rica has long mandated vaccines, and such requirements are supported by the country’s laws.

Per Article 150 in the Ley General de Salud

Vaccination and revaccination against communicable diseases determined by the Ministry is obligatory. Exceptional cases, for medical reasons, will be authorized only by the corresponding health authority.

Among the mandatory vaccines in Costa Rica are: measles, rubella and mumps (MMR); tuberculosis (BCG); Hepatitis B; influenza; tetanus and diphtheria (DTaP).

The Covid-19 vaccine is free and widely available to all Costa Rican citizens and residents ages 18 and up.

About 3.5 million people have received at least one dose; Costa Rica hopes to inoculate 4.27 million people, comprising all citizens and residents ages 12 and up.

Trending Now

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 Closing Event Bans Minors, Sparks Outrage

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 closing event, set for June 29 at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia, was thrown into controversy when the government...

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...

Costa Rica’s Cutris Mining Bill Threatens Massive Environmental Damage

Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica