The Costa Rican Presidency has withdrawn 10 law projects in an effort to streamline the path toward a $504 million loan from the International Monetary Fund.
Unemployment in Costa Rica reached 24% in the April-June quarter, the highest on record, as the country continues to suffer the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hundreds of buses crowded the streets of the Costa Rican capital on Tuesday in a protest to demand support from the government in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Monday with Rodolfo Solano Quirós, Costa Rica's Foreign Minister, representatives from both countries announced.
Hundreds of unionists and municipal leaders marched Thursday through the capital and other cities in Costa Rica in protest of the austerity policies promoted by the government to contain public spending amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Costa Rica was seen as a model country in the containment of the coronavirus, but when an economic opening began in June, infections spiked and put hospitals' ability to deal with new cases at risk.
Unemployment in Costa Rica reached 20.1% from March to May 2020, marking the highest-recorded level of that economic indicator, the official statistical agency announced Thursday.
The president's announcement came as the Legislative Assembly discussed a government proposal to cut 15% of the government's highest wages, including those of lawmakers.
The Costa Rican economy will contract between 4.1% and 4.9% this year compared to 2019, depending on the severity of the health crisis, according to the OECD.
