The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP), Jean Pierre Leignadier pointed out that the authorities must be faster when making decisions in the implementation of reopening of commercial activities to avoid permanent closure.
We have to be much faster in being able to achieve the implementation of those measures, even in some way of trial and error of situations that we are seeking to implement in order to follow up on it and see, if we can continue in that reopening process, but five weeks later we have very few results of that follow-up. After more than four months of closure there is activity that carries a risk of not being able to open, there are companies that will be permanently closed, Leigandier emphasized.
The businessman pointed out that they need to have the results of the measures implemented, such as the effects of the four Saturdays of total quarantine in Panama and Panama West; has there been any impact on the situation and how this will help reactivation.
The businessmen sent a letter to the Minister of Commerce and Industries, Ramón Martínez, requesting the change in the methodology for the reopening. Leignadier said that this afternoon they will meet at the work table to discuss the approach.
Leignadier questioned the authorities' decisions such as why the reopening of the construction industry in the interior could not be made effective; since an element was added that consists of requesting another authorization from the Ministry of Health and that has delayed the entire reactivation process.
He also reiterated that they were present at the progress table where they learned about the reduction of the reproductive number of
COVID-19 to 1.13, but no one from the Government seems to know how this will affect the economic reactivation.
The president of the
CCIAP indicated that each week they present in the work tables the impact matrices of the sub-sectors that make up the economy, which are the indicators for decision-making on the reopening, but they do not see significant progress.
So far they have presented the possible reopening of more than 10 activities.