Government of Costa Rica issues Guide for business continuity

By zone_admin | 23 de May de 2022 | Blog

The Government of Costa Rica issued the Guide for the prevention, mitigation and business continuity due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace , which establishes a series of guidelines aimed at promoting the continuity of companies as a means of livelihood of society, while ensuring that the reactivation of economic activities does not imply an increase in cases of COVID-19. According to article 148 of the General Health Law, every person must be diligent in preventing the infestation and contamination of movable and immovable property and the formation of sources of infection. Additionally, article 147 of the same law establishes that every person must comply with the practices aimed at preventing the appearance and spread of communicable diseases. This Guide must be considered precisely as a diligent action to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The Guide issued by the Government establishes as mandatory a series of actions and preventions that all companies must follow to continue their operations, among them we find:
  • Update your Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan with the pandemic scenario if it is not covered.
  • Be clear about the policy or protocols to be followed in possible emergency scenarios, managers, communication channels and disseminate this to all workers.
  • Keep updated contact and forms of timely communication with the Health Governing Area with jurisdiction in the locality.
  • Immediately notify the Health Governing Area of ​​the confirmation of a COVID-19 case in a worker under their charge.
  • Officialize through an internal communication to your staff the obligation to comply with the general guidelines, as well as the specific ones issued by the company for care, prevention and care in the event of a confirmed case.
  • Prepare and disseminate messages on healthy practices issued by the Ministry of Health and the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, through informative talks, enabling information points, distribution of informative material and reminders such as posters or electronic means
  • Inform by means of a sworn statement to the Governing Area of ​​Health of the locality about the company's plans in accordance with the general guidelines.
  • Carry out a series of preparatory measures that are included in section 3.12 of the Guide and submit to the Occupational Health Council a sworn statement indicating compliance and the application of the Decision Tool for Operational Continuity . The Decision Tool and the model of the affidavit are included in the Guide and must be presented virtually, however, the web portal has not yet been enabled.
  • If one of the company's collaborators is diagnosed as a positive case of COVID-19, the measures described in the section "Rehabilitation actions in case of a positive for Covid-19" of the Guide must be carried out and their compliance must be reported. through a sworn statement addressed to the local Health Governing Area .
  Although the Guide does not mention any specific sanction for non-compliance with its guidelines, its compliance would certainly reduce the risks of all members of the organization, while promoting its continuity. With these requirements, the authorities seek to guide the 113,000 companies that make up the Costa Rican business park towards a culture of prevention in their work centers that allows the necessary reactivation of the productive sector, minimizing to the maximum the risk of spreading the virus, both from preventive and immediate response point of view. Turning the business sector into a key piece for the economic and health recovery of the country.