(QCOSTARICA) The municipalities of Escazú, Santa Ana, and Mora would allow their businesses to operate without the restrictions established by the government during the “closed phase” (August 10 to 21) of August.
The decision by the mayors of three cantons on the west side of San Jose came after they were excluded from the central government’s coordination table
The three local governments are expected to present their protocol plans to the central government so that commercial establishments in their jurisdiction can operate without the 12 days of closing.
Alfonso Jiménez, Mayor of Mora, confirmed that the initiative seeks that those premises that have a municipal license can operate normally, following strict sanitary hygiene measures.
Additionally, Jiménez commented that the municipalities would withdraw their police officers from the operations that the central government is currently coordinating to monitor compliance with the restrictions.
For his part, Gerardo Oviedo, mayor of Santa Ana, said that the proposal will be discussed in the respective municipal councils this week.
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According to the mayors, they were left out of the working table with the National Emergency Commission (CNE), so the actions expected to be announced by three cantons also seek to generate pressure to reincorporate them in the decision making.
“There are absolute inconsistencies with what the government is doing. Why they do not allow you to go to a funeral, but there are no prohibitions for marches (…) You cannot enter a bookstore, but you can stand in line to buy lottery tickets. That’s where we say ‘if you don’t know how to handle this matter, you better leave it us,'” said Arnoldo Barahona, the mayor of Escazu.
“There is a proposal for the reopening to be throughout the month under protocols already developed by us. But associated with that there is also a proposal for actions as to how the issue would be handled if we are not listened to, what happens is that if I am not going to tell you anything because it is for a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
“The people who are worse off were the people who were fired from all the premises that have closed, which can no longer be sustained. At the country level there are hundreds of thousands of families because what is happening is not only in Escazú, Santa Ana and Mora, it is throughout the country. But we who have so much commercial and service activity are what we are suffering the most,” added Barahona.
The Ministry of Health reported Sunday that 18 of the new 788 new cases reported on Sunday were in Escazu, 44 in Santa Ana and 4 in Mora.
The canton of Escazu currently has 376 active cases, Santa Ana 317 and Mora 32.
