QCOSTARICA – As of December 1, sanitary measures change in Costa Rica with a process of gradual increase in the capacity of massive events such as soccer games, concerts and classes, until reaching 100% of the capacity of the venues in March 2022.
The plan is among changes announced this Thursday by the Government to face the covid-19 pandemic, as part of the responsible and gradual opening
The sites where mass events are held will be able to operate at 40% of their capacity starting in December, raising the limit to 60% in January and 80% in February. Finally, as of March 1, 2022, the regulations will be completely eliminated and the premises will be able to operate at 100%.
Agustín Castro, Minister of Communication, stressed that adults who want to attend these activities must demonstrate a complete vaccination scheme against covid-19. In the case of minors between 12 and 17 years old, they will not have to present the certificate until January 31, 2022.
The new measures also affect positively tourism.
“In this way, the entry into the country of tourist families with minors from countries where immunization is not mandatory or has not reached minors under 18 is promoted and nationals are given more time to complete their scheme,” asserted the minister.
As of December 1, discotheques, dance halls and nightclubs were also authorized to operate in a single mode of capacity at 50% of their capacity under all the specific health protocols for such activities. Attendees must also demonstrate that they have a complete protection scheme.
In addition, the capacity of places of worship was increased to a maximum of 750 people, starting next month, without the requirement of the vaccination scheme, but with distancing measures of 1.8 meters and respect for social bubbles. The places that wish to exceed that amount, may do so but demanding the full doses from the attendees.
On the other hand, establishments classified as “essential” (supermarkets, hardware stores, bakeries, among others), will continue to be exempted from the verification of the health certificate as long as they operate at 50% of their capacity. However, they may expand their capacity to 100% if they voluntarily decide to request a complete vaccination test from their visitors.
These changes coincide with another measure planned as of December that consists of the verification of the health certificate in restaurants, sodas, bars, casinos, shops, museums, physical conditioning centers, hotels, cabins or accommodation establishments, spas, adventure tourism , art and dance academies operating at 100% capacity.
Those establishments that choose not to verify the vaccination status of their clients may operate at 50% of their capacity, with the exception of hotels that must reduce their capacity only in common areas.
As of January 8, 2022, all establishments must verify the vaccination status, with the exception already indicated in the case of minors. For ease of shops and various establishments, they must display one of these signs on their premises starting December 1:
The can be downloaded at the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/15_3OwngS7ESJqDvZgTa0DTwdpbC8qfO_