The Ministry of Health (Minsa) has proceeded to extreme sanitary measures to control and mitigate the expansion of COVID-19 in the National territory by promulgating Executive Decree No. 61 in the Official Gazette.
Through this document, Article 2 of Executive Decree No. 961 of August 18, 2020 is modified , adding the application of sanctions to national citizens, residents or foreigners who fail to comply with sanitary measures . The aforementioned Article is as follows: It will be the responsibility of the regional directors of Health to sanction with fines of $501 to $5,000, the following behaviors:
- Incurring a degree of recidivism in non-compliance with mobility restriction measures.
- Violation of sanitary fences and checkpoints.
- Carrying out construction activities, without prior authorization from the Ministry of Health or due to non-compliance with the parameters established by the health authority.
- Circulation of people determined by the health authority as suspects for
COVID-19 who are subject to quarantine or are found in supermarkets, hypermarkets, public transport stations, places or areas of massive concurrence.
- Circulation of people diagnosed as positive for
COVID-19 who transit outside the ordered place to comply with their isolation.
- Failure to comply with the sanitary measures for nationals, residents or foreigners who enter the Republic of Panama, while the State of National Emergency is maintained.
Likewise, the
Minsa establishes that nationals, residents or foreigners, who enter the Republic of Panama while the State of National Emergency is maintained, must comply with all the recommended biosafety measures and present at airports, seaports, land entrances or any Another point of entry to the country, the swab / PCR or antigen test certificate, with a negative or undetected result for SARS-CoV-2 (
COVID-19, with a maximum of 48 hours, prior to entry.
The health authority may randomly perform a rapid swab / PCR or antigen test, valid by the
Gorgas Memorial Institute, for the diagnosis of
COVID-19, to all travelers at points of entry, which will be borne by the Panamanian State.
It adds that all nationals or foreigners will have the obligation to take this test prior to their registration in migration, who upon arrival in the country:
Do not carry the certificate of swab / PCR or antigen tests, with negative or not detected results, issued with a maximum anticipation of 84 hours.
Present the aforementioned certificate with a term greater than 48 hours after its issuance.
With the certificate, present symptoms of
COVID-19.
This test must be paid by the traveler, and according to the result, the provisions of Annex A must be complied with, which contains the flow of the Epidemiological Surveillance Process for travelers and which forms an integral part of this Decree.