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 Following the driving restrictions, some vehicles can be on the roads from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. as long as their plate number isn’t banned for the day. - Ministry of Public Transport photo- |
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Published on
Monday, August 2, 2021
Driving restrictions will continue for this week, from today to Sunday, Aug. 8. Implemented in 2020, these regulations continue to serve as a measure to try to decrease covid-19 infections, according to the National Emergency Commission. However, the virus continues to spread in Costa Rica. According to the Ministry of Health statistics, as of Friday, there are 72,145 active covid-19 cases in the country. Of the total 406,814 cases detected since last year, there were 5,030 deaths listed as covid-19 related, approximately 1.3% death rate in Costa Rica. Following the driving restrictions, some vehicles can be on the roads from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. as long as their plate number isn’t banned for the day. After 9 p.m. there should be no vehicle on the streets, except those traveling to authorized places such as the airport, a clinic, work, school or a hotel, among others. The list of exceptions that allow any vehicle to drive at night is on the government website under Vehicle Exceptions.  This week, driving restrictions apply as follows: · On Monday, Aug. 2, plates ending in 1 or 2 are banned. · On Tuesday, Aug. 3, plates ending in 3 or 4 are banned. · On Wednesday, Aug. 4, plates ending in 5 and 6 are banned. · On Thursday, Aug. 5, plates ending in 7 or 8 are banned. · On Friday, Aug. 6, plates ending in 9 or 0 are banned. · On Saturday, Aug. 7, plates ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) are banned. · On Sunday, Aug. 8, plates ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8) are banned. Drivers caught disregarding the driving restrictions must pay a fine of about $180. Traffic officers cannot seize the vehicle or its plates, nor can they reduce driver's license points for breaking the rules. A practical solution to avoid driving is to request a ride-hailing service or use public transportation. Drivers should print and keep the ban-on-driving schedule displayed with them at all times. Readers can verify the car plate number restrictions by visiting the government website’s Vehicle Alert. Recently, the Ombudsman Office requested the Ministry of Health for a report on the technical studies that justify the decision to continue with the driving restrictions. In Costa Rica, the ombudsman service has the role of handling citizens' complaints against government actions. Since the pandemic forced the country into strict lockdown and extreme safety measures, people have complained. The government response confirmed that due to the continuous increase in covid-19 cases in the country, the restrictions should continue until the highly expected herd immunity can be achieved. At least 83% of the population, about 4,274,344 million people in Costa Rica, must be fully vaccinated in order to keep infections down and achieve herd immunity, according to Social Security. Since last week, there have been 3,193,895 vaccines against covid-19 applied in the country, reaching a national vaccination rate of 61.9 per 100 inhabitants, according to the Vaccine National Information System report. The Ombudsman has changed its strategy and now is asking citizens to sign a public letter, requesting President Carlos Alvarado to hurry the vaccination campaign, input a more flexible driving rule and in the case of the Emergency Decree declared cantons cancel the driving restrictions due to the massive flooding registered a couple of weeks ago. People interested in supporting the Ombudsman office can sign the letter published on the organization's website. ------------------------ Should the authorities lift the driving restrictions? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com  Professional's
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