Type of Intervention: Executive Order
Sectors Involved: Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Transportation
Intervention Categories: International travel measures; Legal and policy; New initiatives
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: Government Ministry (National Civil Aeronautical Authority)
Overview: The Government authorized the establishment of a Controlled Operations Center for the interconnection of International Commercial Aviation which will allow – to a limited extent – air operations for transit through Tocumen Airport for the departure of passengers and the controlled entry of Panamanians or residents in Panama.
According to Executive Decree No.300 of July 31, only passengers established by Executive Decree No.605 of April 30, 2020 will be allowed to leave the national territory; Passenger traffic through Tocumen International Airport will be admitted in a limited way, in terms of number and connections, as long as their connections do not take six hours between the arrival and departure flights.
In addition, only controlled entry of passengers into national territory will be allowed, with prior authorization from the health authority. The Ministry of Health will authorize or deny entry to the country for each flight, taking into account the level of spread of COVID-19 in the country, the epidemiological status of the country of embarkation, the number of passengers and their health condition.
Full details here: https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/29081_A/GacetaNo_29081a_20200731.pdf
Other links: 1
Type of Justification: No justification given
Evidence/Justification: Due to the pandemic and the large number of foreigners stranded in the various countries in delicate economic conditions, and / or for humanitarian reasons, it was decided to establish said operation in a controlled manner. To date, entry flights, connections and exit that in total have mobilized more than 13 thousand people to and from Panama.