Holiday quarantine in Panama begins Dec 25.

Luis Francisco Sucre, announced a total quarantine from December 25 to 28, 2020, and from January 1 to 4, 2021, as a measure to stop the advance of the coronavirus in Panama.

The health ministry of Panama explained that the total quarantine will start from 7:00 pm on Friday 25 and will end at 5:00 am on Monday, December 28; and the second quarantine will be from 7:00 pm on Friday, January 1 to 5:00 am on Monday, January 4.

Meanwhile, as of December 18, a new curfew and dry law schedule will take effect: from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Currently, the curfew is from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

The minister said that government entities will work with up to 50% of officials on alternate days.

In addition, from 5:00 pm on December 23 to 5:00 am on January 4 they will establish sanitary fences. These will be located in La Pesa de La Chorrera, Divisa, La Villa, Chagres, Viguí, among others.

The Minsa ordered supermarkets to receive one person per family, with the exception of being accompanied by a minor or person with a disability.

In Panama, airports, ports, and borders will remain open throughout the new quarantine measures. 

Sucre reiterated that the meetings of more than 10 people are still suspended. And he announced that they will bring doctors from the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, and Cuba, to reinforce the health personnel.

Eyra Ruíz, Minister-Counselor, said that in the last month since the sanitary measures and fences were lifted, the mobilization of people within the country caused cases to be reported in regions where there were no reported cases of coronavirus. Furthermore, compliance with biosafety measures has become more flexible and relaxed.

"During the national holidays we saw how the celebrations and meetings, parties, increased the contagion curve throughout the country," stated Ruíz.

Meanwhile, Leonardo Labrador, head of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported this Tuesday, December 15, that 29 new deaths from coronavirus have been reported, for a total of 3,411 deaths to date.

The number of people in intensive care units (ICU) increased in recent hours: 197, the highest number so far.

In the last hours, 2,368 new cases have been reported, after the application of 13,424 new tests. The total number of cases from March to date is 196,987, and of those, 164,855 have recovered.

In Panama, the Rt rose from 1.18 to 1.21 reported Labrador.