(Reuter) Costa Rica on Saturday registered 1,830 new COVID-19 infections, its highest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic, with space for the most essential patients at public hospitals nearly full, health authorities mentioned.
There have been 238,760 cases and 3,143 deaths from COVID-19 within the Central American nation of 5 million individuals, whose tourism-driven economy has been hit by the pandemic’s toll on global travel.
“We are living through the darkest health moment of Costa Rica in modern times,” Health Minister Daniel Salas mentioned in a televised address to the nation.
He added that the 125 beds in intensive care units allocated for severe COVID-19 cases are 94% full, and mentioned the remaining space could be filled within the coming days.
Salas mentioned cars could no longer be on the road from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but authorities wouldn’t impose a stricter lockdown to avoid hurting the economy.
“We have to take into account that individuals need to work,” Salas mentioned, noting that government resources to disburse financial aid were depleted the last yr.
