Covid 19 Update July 20th 2020

Covid 19 Case Update

As of July 20th, Costa Rica reported 420 new cases of Corona virus with a total of 11,534 confirmed cases. Currently, 3,019 people have recovered, 259 are hospitalized, 47 are in ICU, and a total of 66 deaths have been reported.

The new health and traffic restrictions  will be in effect from now until July 31st, 2020.

The country is still divided into areas categorized under orange and yellow alert.

From July 20th through July 31st the following driving  restrictions are in place throughout the entire country.

• Mondays..…....license plates ending in 1 & 2 restricted
• Tuesdays…......license plates ending in 3 & 4 restricted
• Wednesdays… license plates ending in 5 & 6 restricted
• Thursdays…....license plates ending in 7 & 8 restricted
• Fridays….........license plates ending in 9 & 0 restricted

On the weekend, vehicles with license plates ending in:

·        ODD numbers can circulate on Saturdays

·        EVEN numbers can circulate on Sundays

Orange Alert Regions from July 20th to July 31st

Vehicles can only circulate from 5 AM to 5 PM.

Yellow Alert Regions from July 20th to July 31st

Vehicles can circulate Monday through Friday from 5 AM to 10 PM and on Saturday and Sunday from 5 AM to 7 PM. All areas under “Yellow Alert” remain in Phase 3. In these areas, most businesses can operate seven days a week, religious ceremonies are permitted, and beaches are open from 5-9:30 AM daily. 

Fines and Sanctions

There are high fines for people violating the sanitary and traffic restrictions. Violating a quarantine order carries a fine of approximately $800 and even possible jail time. Violating traffic restrictions can result in the seizure of vehicles and plates and is accompanied by hefty fines.

Seized vehicles and plates

COSEVI, the government entity in charge of returning seized plates and vehicles, has been closed this week and may be closed into next week. This means additional delays in returning plates and vehicles can be expected. To reschedule appointments with COSEVI you can write plat-serviciosj@csv.go.cr or call 2522-0815.

RTV Inspection Extension

The government also announced that owners of vehicles with plates ending in 7 and 8 will have an additional one month grace period to renew their annual RTV inspection renewed. This means that vehicles with plates ending in 7 will have until August 31st and those ending in 8 will have until September 30th to renew. For appointments go to www.rtv.co.cr.

 

Border, Immigration and Visa Information

Tourists who entered the country after December 17th, 2019 have been granted an extension on their visa until November 18th, 2020. This extension also allows foreigners to drive legally and use their foreign drivers licenses until that date, as long as the license is not expired.

Borders are scheduled to reopen on August 1st, 2020. Once borders reopen, only  foreigners from countries with controlled spread of the virus will be allowed to enter. There is no current date for reopening the northern and southern land borders.