Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Cortizo eliminates humanitarian flights for returning Panamanians
The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, announced this Wednesday that humanitarian flights for nationals will be “eliminated” starting next week and that they will only be required to have a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country.
Those humanitarian flights that were coordinated for Panamanians, as of next week will cease to exist, said the Panamanian president.
Nationals and residents who wish to enter Panama must deliver a negative COVID-19 swab test result 48 hours in advance or undergo an antigen test in the country, and make a mandatory quarantine for fourteen days, as measures to avoid the contagion.
Cortizo also announced that the Tocumen International Airport, the main airport in the country, will be maintained as a “mini humanitarian hub.”
Source: Panama Times
PANAMA BEGINS PHASED REOPENING OF TOCUMEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR TRANSIT.
Panama has taken its first step towards reopening the Tocumen International Airport which is a major hub for Latin America and was the busiest airport in Central America prior to the pandemic.
Through an executive decree signed by Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo on July 31, the Tocumen Airport will open for international transiting passengers and Panamanians to enter and exit the country under certain protocols.
Source: Travel Off Path
Panama proposes flying Haitian migrants home after clash.
The government of Panama said Monday it has proposed giving some Haitian migrants flights back to their homeland after frustrations boiled over at the remote camps where they are stuck.
The camps in Panama’s southern Darien province also house some Cuban and African migrants, but about 80% of the 2,000 migrants there are from Haiti.
Public Safety Minister Juan Pino said Monday he offered improved medical services or repatriation flights to the migrants, who want to travel overland to the U.S. border but cannot do so because of coronavirus restrictions. Over the weekend the migrants protested conditions at the camp, setting afire tents and tossing rocks at Panamanian officials.
Source: WTOP
Panama’s Population Still on Steady Growth Course
In 2010, during the census taken of the entire country of Panama, there were 3,322,576 registered residents on the isthmus. Now, according to new data, that number could reach close to 4,500,000 by 2022.
This is a massive increase for such a small amount of time, and one that many believe is a positive sign of both economic growth, and quality of life increases. During this same period, Panama added thousands of new houses and residential buildings to meet the demand, sparking a construction boom unlike any in the region. Now, as the population continues to surge, Panama continues to work hard to meet growth for relocation and international investment.
