As a result of the reduction of the permitted capacity for meetings and events to be held in Costa Rica, businessmen of the sector will have to adjust their expenses and contain costs in a better way.
In order to contain the advance of the pandemic, during the rest of the month of May, capacity reductions and restrictions to the circulation of vehicles will be applied, measures that will be applied throughout the national territory.
Through a press conference, the Costa Rican Government announced that as of May 13, sanitary measures will be applied, which will be based on the modification of some existing ones.
After foreign exchange revenues from tourism in Costa Rica fell from $4 billion to $1.343 billion between 2019 and 2020 due to the closure of borders and airports, it is projected that the sector will remain in the red during 2021.
March 2020, when most countries began to register Covid-19 cases, was the month in which revenues began to fall. Statistics from the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) show that in this context of pandemic, between April and October of last year, the Costa Rican tourism industry practically did not earn any foreign currency.
In order to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, local authorities decided that from Monday, May 3 through Sunday, May 9, all commercial establishments operating in the cantons of the Central Region and which are not classified as essential, must close to the public.
These establishments will be able to operate under the non-face-to-face modality by means of home delivery or self-service. The rest of the country will not be affected by closures, informed the Presidency of Costa Rica.
In the first week of April 2021, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Guatemala were the countries in the region where the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was higher than the figures reported before the pandemic.
Over the course of the months and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
In order to reduce the effects of the pandemic that caused the outbreak of Covid-19, from April 27 to May 16, there will be restrictions on vehicle traffic from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the following day.
Given the speed of the increase in the number of infections and hospital occupancy, some of the most severe epidemiological data since the beginning of the pandemic, the health authorities made the decision to change the restriction schedule, according to an official statement.
Arguing that the measures applied by the government directly harm employees and owners of restaurants and bars, a group of businessmen in Guatemala filed a legal action in the Constitutional Court.
Restrictions to productive activity have already been applied for days, since with the purpose of promoting actions aimed at interrupting the epidemiological chain of the Covid-19 disease, on April 17 Ministerial Agreement 87-2021 was published in the Diario de Centroamerica, a regulatory framework that requires a 25% reduction in the capacity of shopping centers, shopping malls, convenience stores and restaurants.
As a result of the restrictions imposed by the Guatemalan Government, local businessmen estimate that sales in the commercial sector last weekend fell by up to 50% and the number of customers in restaurants and shopping centers decreased considerably.
In order to promote actions aimed at interrupting the epidemiological chain of the Covid-19 disease, Ministerial Agreement 87-2021 was published on April 17 in the Diario de Centroamerica, a regulatory framework that requires a 25% reduction in the capacity of shopping malls, commercial centers, convenience stores and restaurants.
In the last year in El Salvador, sales of hardware stores have remained dynamic, a situation that is explained by changes in living habits resulting from the pandemic, as in recent months’ consumers have decided to invest in remodeling their homes.
The increase in family remittances is another factor that has influenced the increase in hardware store sales. According to official figures, during 2020 the country received $5,919 million in family remittances, an amount that exceeded by 5% what was reported in 2019.
Central America must be the driving force behind a globally accepted document that will be vital for the recovery of the global economy and tourism in particular.
The generation of a physical or digital document of global acceptance (like national passports) that certifies that the bearer has been vaccinated against Covid-19 will facilitate the movement of people that has been severely restricted as part of the measures adopted by governments, both locally and internationally, to contain the pandemic.
As a result of the economic crisis generated by the pandemic, it is estimated that four out of every five Central American companies were forced to increase their debts in order to sustain their operations.
According to the 2021 Regional Survey on economic reactivation prepared by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the Central American Isthmus (Fecamco), the resources obtained through indebtedness, served the companies to pay payroll, face rents and support operations.
Twelve months after Central America began a health and economic crisis triggered by the covid-19 outbreak, Guatemala was the fastest recovering economy and Panamanian economic activity is the slowest to return to pre-pandemic levels.
In March 2020, the first cases of covid-19 began to be detected in the countries of the region. The highly contagious disease, which at that time had already claimed the lives of thousands of people around the world, forced Central American governments to establish mobility restrictions.
Following the announcement of the restrictions imposed in Guatemala to mitigate the outbreak of covid-19, which contemplate the closing of restaurants after 9:00 pm, businessmen anticipate that sales will fall and that they will have to reduce the number of personnel hired.
During 2020, it is estimated that the average price of a ton of steel increased 19%, a rise that impacts the construction industry and is explained by the increase in logistics costs and the suspension of the extraction of the material due to the outbreak of covid-19.
Central American businessmen report that during last year, which was marked by the sanitary and economic crisis, the average price per ton of steel increased by $130, going from $670 to $800.
In order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in the country, from January 10 to 17, a curfew will be applied between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the following day, and children will also be prevented from entering stores.
The exception in the circulation in not allowed schedules is subject to institutions described in the current PCM, transport of heavy load and person with safe-conduct authorized by the Secretary of Security, details an official document.
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...
Real Estate Development & Adventure Park Jacó, Costa Rica. Multiple Investment Opportunities Available. The Ocean Ranch eco-residential development is located...