Workers economically affected by the national emergency of the new coronavirus will be able to request government subsidies of up to ¢125,000 colones, in case they have lost their job or their employment contract has been suspended.
Workers who have had their workday reduced and now receive 50% of their salary, may request subsidies of up to ¢62,500.
An application can be made on online
To access this bonus, called “Proteger”, affected workers must fill out a form through at www.proteger.go.cr.
“We are going to use all the resources and tools to help families whose incomes have been reduced and whose basic food needs can be met,” said the Minister of Human Development and Social Welfare, Juan Luis Bermúdez.
The requirements to obtain the subsidy are:
- Be a Costa Rican or legal resident
- Having lost a job or source of income, having a reduced working day or a suspended contract, all as a result of the covid-19 emergency.
To fill out the form, applicants must have handy their cedula (national ID) for Costa Ricans and a valid DIMEX, the immigration document issued to residents, have a bank account in colones and provide their IBAN account number in the application.
The Minister of Labor and Social Security, Geannina Dinarte, insisted that it is an easy, fast and free mechanism designed to guarantee that the affected can receive support from the State but, at the same time, they maintain physical distancing.
The Labor minister did not rule out that malicious sites may arise that want to scam people.
“Know that the service is free and it will always be absolutely virtual, only through this website,” she said.
Bith Dinarte and Bermúdez stressed that the subsidy is not available to public sector workers. Nor can pensioners, nor the families that receive other monetary transfers from the State, nor people who continue to receive 100% of their salary.
To receive the subsidy, the applicant must have proof of being laid off or reduced work hours and salary, providing a letter from the employer or some document that certifies the change in employment.
