What's new?

Costa Rica's moves to National Emergency trough decree 42227-MP-S, this allows the Executive Branch to implement security, health, economy and any other measures needed to face the pandemic, and includes budget reassignment.

Economic aids and tax reliefs are in discussion at this moment in the Congress.

Legal impact

• Travel restrictions: National and residents travelers that arrive to the country on or after March 18 must remain on a 14 days’ mandatory quarantine. Foreign travelers entrances to the country are forbidden through April 12, 2020.
• Litigation: Courts will suspend oral hearings until April 3, except those related to domestic violence, alimonies and injunctions, or ongoing criminal trials that cannot be suspended.
• Immigration procedures: deadlines have been postponed, appointments suspended until June 1, and all on-site procedures suspended until May 17.
• Real Estate and Hospitality: Foreign travelers are not allowed to enter the country, impacting occupation rates.
• Antitrust and Consumer protection: The Authorities must enforce any available legal or administrative action to stop prevent price gouging, shortage, speculation, and other business practices that may hurt competition or consumers. Price fixing will soon be enacted over hygiene and sanitary products.
• Health authorities: The Police is now authorized to support the Ministry on Health in facilities closure, due to breach of the MoH sanitary regulations. 
• Government contracts: Some government procurement contractors may rely on the suspension of their contracts authorized by the Government Procurement Law and its Regulation, due to unforeseen or unforeseeable causes for up to six months, extendable for another equal period. The suspension must be agreed in writing, by means of a reasoned resolution, dictated by the Hierarch or competent subordinate holder, with a precise indication, among other things, of the part carried out up to that moment, its status and who is responsible for keeping the execution, the measures that will be adopted to guarantee financial balance and the date of possible restart of execution.