(QCOSTARICA) For the third consecutive day, the number of new cases has been under 1,000; on Tuesday the Ministry of Health reporting 890 new cases, for a total now of 74,604, with an age range of 1 to 100.
606 people are hospitalized, of which 230 are in intensive care.
The number of recovered is now 30,703 or 41.2%, growing rapidly this past week as the Health officials have taken to the task of following up and updating.
A total of 19 deaths were reported on Tuesday, 14 men and 5 women, ranging in age between 28 and 98. The total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is now 880.
No changes to restrictions for October
President Carlos Alvarado took the press conference state on Tuesday to announce that the commitments and responsibilities of each individual for the month of October will be maintained unchanged as indicated under the “Costa Rica works and takes care of itself” scheme.
Thus, the vehicular restrictions will remain the same in October, that is from 5 am to 10 pm weekdays depending on the last digit of the license plate: 1 & 2 on Mondays, 3 & 4 on Tuesdays, 5 & 6 on Wednesday, 7 & 8 on Thursdays, 9 & 0 on Fridays; and from 5 am to 8 pm on weekends: evens on Saturdays and odds on Sundays,
The same with commerical openings, under the controlled opening strategy, continuing in October is the long list of establishments operate, including gyms, beauty salons, venues for events and religious activities, although with limited capacities.
There had been rumors of tougher measures returning for October, but as I have written here and in response to the many emails, the country can’t continue to open its air borders to tourists and then clamp down.
Alvarado reminded that among the measures people should continue with are respect for social bubbles, distancing and the use of masks.
Important not to abandon is the hand washing, not touching your face without first washing your hands and not leaving the house if you have symptoms of respiratory illnesses.
“This is very important because it reaffirms the need for us to continue with the measures. In recent days we have seen a tenuous improvement behavior, but this does not mean at all that we must lower our guard. We have to continue with the protection measures in all parts of the country, all corners and all activities, this ensures that our country is well during October,” he said.
To ensure compliance with these measures, an active participation of merchants and municipalities is also required in the application of protocols and the monitoring of this compliance, said the President.
In the last few days, I have seen a stricter control by local shops, at least in Santa Ana, of requiring customers to wear a mask and a significant increase in taking of body temperature prior to enterting.
