Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Over 1,000 Restaurants Call It A Day In Panama.
Burdened by fixed costs and a disappearing customer base over 1,000 Panama restaurants have permanently closed their doors leading to 6,000 lost jobs.
Parallel, with the near-total stoppage of activities and the need to generate income, an independent movement has been created in social networks for the sale of food, which sparked the attention of both consumers and authorities.
“Food preparation that is being done in apartments and in workshops, the public has to be very careful about hygiene. That is a problem that the authorities (the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Directorate of Revenue) have to attack, because they are also businesses that do not pay taxes,” said Domingo De Obaldía, president of Arap.
Source: Q Costa Rica
Covid-19 vaccines to be tested in Panama.
The announcement that Panama will begin in mid-August the phase one study of a ribonucleic acid vaccine against Covid-19, developed by a biotechnology company in Germany, has generated great expectation on Tuesday.
On an interview with Radar television program, Dr. Eduardo Ortega-Barria, responsible for medical affairs of the Covid-19 Vaccine Research Consortium in the country, assured that this will only happen after the vaccine is approved by the General Directorate of Health, the Bioethics Committee and regulatory authorities in Panama.
Ortega-Barria stated that once the phase one is completed, phase two of clinical trials will be activated in September, where the safety of the vaccine candidate and his immune response will be assessed.
Those tests will be performed at the Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama. This institute was chosen as a reference center to carry out these laboratory tests in collaboration with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, the doctor said. About the issue, the infectologist indicated that WHO established that in the first stage, the Covid-19 vaccine will be given to health workers, who represent about 1% of the world population, adults aged 65 years (8%) and people with some kind of disease (15%).
Source: Prensa Latina
Panama workers on a war footing.
The Friday call to ‘the great popular protest’ against labor reforms in front of Parliament radicalized the actions by Panama’s labor sectors, which escalate the confrontation to the government, after a week of protests.
During a Friday morning session, the legislators made the final analysis of the bill that will be voted on at the plenary session, after the criteria for and against the text were heard.
The National Assembly on Thursday approved in second debate, with some modifications, ‘temporary’ changes to the Labor Code proposed to the legislature by the current Laurentino Cortizo administration, after several previous refusals so the Executive would take such a decision.
The bill was presented by the Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development, allegedly based on the agreements of a tripartite board with business, workers and government participation, but unionists denied that they reached consensus in that debate.
Source: Prensa Latina
Traveling to Panama in 2021 on a tight budget? We can help!
Find the best deals on flights, where to stay, where to eat, and where to shop, all before you’ve stepped foot in this wonderful Central American country. Here are a few pointers to help get you started.
Traveling smart in Panama during any season requires a certain amount of planning ahead, although, if you need to book last minute, you can still get some great deals. Your best bet for flights is to book about 10 weeks ahead of your scheduled departure. Another good idea is to be flexible about your dates. If you have flexible vacation time, or flexibility in your agenda while in Panama, you will have many more price options for flights and hotels. Typically, the best (and cheapest) days to fly are Tuesdays and Thursdays, and if you’re willing to endure some connecting flights, you can drive the price down even further.
