Updated April 29. The vehicular restrictions have been extended to May 15 to reduce the movement of people and contagion of the coronavirus covid-19.
I’ll start with the night time restrictions, less complicated than the daytime, in that ALL vehicles are restricted from circulation, save the exempted (see list below), from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am.
The daytime restrictions, from 5:00 am to 7:00 pm, are in two parts: weekdays (Monday to Friday) and Weekends (Saturday and Sunday), based on the last digit of the license plate.
WEEKDAYS:
- Mondays, restricted are plates ending in 1 and 2
- Tuesdays, restricted are plates ending in 3 and 4
- Wednesdays, restricted are plates ending in 5 and 6
- Thursdays, restricted are plates ending in 7 and 8
- Fridays, restricted are plates ending in 9 and 0
For drivers who are used to the vehicular restrictions of San Jose, the foregoing is familiar, what does change is the start time, one hour earlier.
WEEKENDS:
- Saturdays restricted are ALL EVEN, that is 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8
- Sundays restricted are ALL ODD, that is 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9
The weekends restrictions are to stay local, for grocery shopping, pharmacies, medical appointments and starting May 1, beuaty salons, barbershops, gyms and more, allowed under the relaxed restrictions for businesses.
The nighttime restrictions continue applied to all vehicles.
The restirctions are countrywide.
Here’s a handy guide or you can click here, enter the last digit and learn if you can drive or not on a particular day:
The sanction for violation is, for each instance, a fine of ¢110,400 colones (including costs), six points on the driver’s license, and the confiscation of license plates and or vehicle.
In addition, you can be sanctioned, in addition to all the other, for any other violation of the traffic law, ie not having your driver’s license, Marchamo (circulation permit and Riteve (inspection) current, not wearing your seatbelt, overcrowding, talking on the cell phone and so on.
The exemptions. Basically, if you have to ask, you are probably not exempted, for if you were exempted, by now you know the exemptions list well.
Stay at home. Go out only is necessary. And if you do go out, stay safe, stay healthy.
