The vehicle license plate circulation restriction on weekends will be eliminated as of March 1st. This was announced on February 22nd by the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, on his social networks, and later by the President of the National Emergency Commission (CNE), Alexander Solís, at the press conference on the state of national emergency caused due to the novel Coronavirus.
Also, it was reported that the prohibition of vehicle circulation at night will be reduced by one hour next month. Consequently, drivers will be able to circulate from 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.; in other words, one hour more than in recent months. For its part, the night restriction will continue Monday to Sunday from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 am in all the national territory. Likewise, Solís announced that commercial establishments are enabled to open until 11:00 p.m. from Monday to Sunday, in accordance with the vehicle circulation protocol.
The relaxation of the restrictions maintains the 18 groups of exceptions contemplated in previous versions of the provision. In the same way, the letter format that must be presented in case of exception remains in force.
Strict health safety measures must continue in the country
“Let’s take care of ourselves! If cases increase, more restrictive measures would return,” warned the President. For his part, the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, stressed that the relaxation of administrative provisions “does not imply that we should relax” in terms of health protocols, such as hand washing, physical distancing and the use of a mask. Solís called to “not lower our guard” in the battle against the respiratory disease.
These modifications respond to the downward trends in new daily cases, as well as deaths and hospitalizations associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, registered in the country for more than three weeks.
