- Public workers in San Jose, Alajuela, Montes de Oca, Curridabat, Escazu, Goicoechea, and Belen get day off
- General Cañas, route 27 and streets in San Jose will be intermittently closed
Public workers in seven cantons will have the day off on Friday, May 3rd, because of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Costa Rica.
This measure takes in the public servants working in the cantons of San Jose, Alajuela, Belen, Escazu, Montes de Oca, Curridabat and Goicoechea.
The decision to broaden the day off coverage, which was originally meant for San Jose only, was adopted on security grounds and to ease the US President’s trips within Costa Rica.
Minister of Communications Francisco Chacon explained that some of the routes traversing these cantons must be closed while the caravans of President Obama and those of the Central American presidents pass through those places. The region’s heads of state will attend the summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish), which was established in 1993.
“The routes will be closed on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning,” Minister Chacon pointed out.
However, they will not be permanently closed, only when it becomes necessary for a trip of any of the presidents.
Among the routes affected, the Minister explained, there is General Cañas Highway, the San Jose-Caldera road, Paseo Colon and streets downtown San Jose.
Also closed will be the streets next to the hotels where the presidents will lodge.
It is expected that all of the heads of state will have departed by early afternoon on¿Saturday.
The arrival. The President of the United States will arrive in Costa Rica Friday afternoon aboard Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200 B whose landing will force the temporary closing of Juan Santamaria International Airport.
In the preceding hours and while Air Force One remains there, cargo and private flightswill be cancelled. Also, some commercial flights are likely to be affected.
President Obama, who will fly from Mexico, will arrive in Costa Rica to meet with President Laura Chinchilla in the Yellow House, on 7th Avenue in San Jose.
On Saturday, he will partake of the SICA summit either at the National Culture Center or at the National Theater.
Attendance has been confirmed by the presidents Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Otto Perez of Guatemala, Mauricio Funes of El Salvador, Porfirio Lobo of Honduras, and Ricardo Martinelli of Panama.
According to Minister Francisco Chacon, the venues of the events and the routes to be followed by the presidents are closer to a final definition with the participation of a second advance team from the US Government.
Source: La Nacion
