Category Archives: Analysis

FAQ: General guidelines for Condominiums in light of the health alert by COVID-19 in Costa Rica

Due to the coronavirus alert, the Costa Rican Ministry of Health issued on May 12th, 2020, the sixth version of the general guidelines for Commercial Condominiums, condominiums with commercial and residential spaces and Residential Condominiums (“General Guidelines for Condominiums”). The BLP Real Estate & Hospitality team shares a series of frequently asked questions directed to…

Emergency Public Procurement Procedures due to COVID-19.

As a rule, our Constitution requires administrative contracts to be managed through public tender or bidding. Public bidding is a transparent and competitive process that compels the Administration to widely advertise purchases of goods and services and promote healthy competition among interested companies. This is how the government ensures that contracts are awarded to the…

Economic and financial rebalancing on administrative contracts as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Traditionally, when an administrative contract is entered into, the contractor is guaranteed to obtain the economic benefit projected in its proposal, so that when this benefit is altered for reasons that are attributable to the Public Administration, or for reasons not attributable to it, but which are nevertheless subsequent, the contractor has the right and…

Holding Shareholder´s Meetings and Partner´s Meeting in mercantile companies

The world health situation has forced preventive actions, such as social distancing, to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Government of the Republic of Guatemala has taken a similar position, applying express prohibitions regarding the holding of any type of event and limitation on the freedom of movement. In view of this, it…

Extension of the term of execution or delivery of the object of the administrative contract as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meeting the delivery deadline agreed upon in an administrative contract may be significantly complicated by the pandemic that we are currently experiencing. Since this situation was not caused by the government, it is not in their hands to amend or correct the contract. In addition, complying with the term of execution of the contractual object is…

Women’s labor rights in companies during COVID-19

The new legislation that authorizes companies to reduce working hours by up to 75% due to the health emergency of COVID-19 pandemic for Costa Rican society, must include gender equality and equity in its application. It is established that when the gross income of companies is reduced by 20% or more due to the emergency,…

Q&A in Immigration Matters Regarding the Coronavirus COVID-19 in Costa Rica

As a result of the state of national emergency declared by the Government of Costa Rica, the Immigration Authority has established temporary immigration measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These measures apply to all foreigners who are filed or have approved an immigration process in the country. As follow please find questions and answers…

Frequently Asked Questions on Labor matters related to COVID-19 in Nicaragua

In case of business closure and termination of the employment relationship, can the business schedule the payment of the severance agreement? A: Employers and employees can agree on a liquidation payment plan beneficial to both parties, but employers cannot impose it unilaterally. It is important that the arrangement is made in writing and executed by both…

Q&A in Labor matters regarding the Coronavirus COVID-19 in Honduras

In light of the national emergency we are living caused by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), at BLP we have developed this communication to hep inform our clients on the most important factors to take into consideration in the workplace for their companies. Starting Sunday, March 15 at 11:59 pm, the Honduran Government decreed…

Handling of personal data of COVID-19 carriers

Faced with the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, many companies will inevitably have cases of employees and/or clients affected by the virus. Some of these cases may be detected with appropriate measures to react effectively and prevent further harm. These preventive measures necessarily involve obtaining and managing personal information from potential affected persons. For this,…