Costa Rica eases restrictions but warns of “false security”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The government of Costa Rica announced this Friday (6) a relaxation of restrictive measures against Covid-19 but warned the population not to fall into a “false sense of security” due to the advance of the vaccination process.

“The epidemiological moment is still tense. We are on a plateau. We have the Delta variant circulating that is much more transmissible. Please be wary of the false sense of security of people who have been vaccinated with at least one dose,” said in a press conference by the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas.

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The minister commented that with the advance in vaccination, with which half of the population already has at least one dose, a strong increase in mobility has been perceived and the “false sense of security” makes people decrease the application of preventive measures.

This Friday, the authorities announced a relaxation from August 9 of the restrictions for shops, places of worship, gyms, and mobility. Customer service shops will operate between 5 AM and 10 PM, one hour more than at present. This same application will be applied for the circulation of vehicles.

The business sectors reacted angrily to this decision, as they expected an extension at least until 11 PM and affirm that there is no balance between the economy and health.

“We are left without being presented with the technical criteria in decision-making by the government, because while the data they present us indicates that infections are going down, the extension of the hours of vehicle restriction and restaurant operation, shops and others, it is of only one hour, “said in a statement the president of the Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP), José Álvaro Jenkins.

The Government also decided to increase the capacity of cinemas and theaters to 50%, with a maximum of 500 people separated by 1.8 meters. Previously, the allowed capacity was 25%. In places of worship, the authorities extended the maximum allowed to 500 people, with a distance of 1.8 meters.

For bars, the capacity remains at 25%, and in hotels with more than 100 people, it is increased to 75%, while the permission to be on the beaches is extended until 8 PM.

So far in the pandemic, Costa Rica has recorded 414,745 cases of Covid-19 and 5,108 deaths.

Since mid-April, the country has faced the third wave of infections that at its peak caused more than 3,000 cases a day but is currently in a slow decline with a daily average of around 1,200 infections.

Hospitals maintain a high level of occupancy in intensive care units with 380 hospitalized people, which exceeds the optimal level of 369 beds that the country has in that area.