December Is A Time For Vacations
December 11th, 2008 | by admin |This is December. The month of the aguinaldo, the avenidazo, crowds, lots of traffic and the Zapote Fair in San José, school vacation and time to head for the beaches and mountains.
The central government will shut down for the holidays on December 19 and re-open on January 5. Any dealings with the governments will be suspended during that period.
Autonomous government agencies, like ICE, Racsa, CCSS, follow their own closing times, some following the lead of the central government, while others not.
Best to check ahead before heading for a doctors appointment or clinic. Public hospitals and clinics will be open regular hours except for December 25 and 31. All emergency services will operate as normal 24 hours a day, every day.
Banks also close during the holiday period. Most private banks follow the lead of the state banks closing only December 25, 31 and January 1.
At the Acueductos y Alcantarillados (water and sewer) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (telephone and electricity), they inform that they will close the central offices and many regional offices from December 19 to January 5, however, customer services offices and booths will be open save for December 25, 31 and January 1.
Only December 25 and January 1 are legal holidays in Costa Rica. However, many businesses and professionals, like doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, etc. shut down from a few days to a week before Christmas and re-open in the new year.
Always call ahead and save yourself a trip.
