Business leaders reject lockdown

The National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep),  which unites the principal business guilds of Panama has the total quarantine set for  January 4-14.

The businessmen asked for a balance between the health, economic and social welfare aspects; They regretted that the Government has not considered the different proposals that have been made by the private sector, and warned of a negative impact on the economy and employment due to the new closure announced.

“The quarantine will generate a continuous deterioration, thousands of lost jobs, closure of companies and an increase in informality,” said Julio de la Lastra, president of Conep, when reading the union statement backed by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, the Industrial Union of Panama, the Panamanian Chamber of Construction, the Panamanian Association of Business Executives and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture.

“We are going to have a hecatomb of proportions never seen before,” predicted De La Lastra.

The businessman said that without mobility there is no consumption, without consumption there are no sales and without sales, the company does not survive nor can the jobs be maintained, so taxes are also affected, resources with which the Government can invest in education, health, infrastructure, and other basic needs.

The total quarantine would put the sustainability of the companies at risk, which has suffered a slow reactivation since they gradually resumed operations in recent months, and have made an effort to maintain biosecurity measures.

The businessmen also regretted the lack of communication of these measures, of an economic reactivation plan or of the issues related to the vaccine, despite the fact that there are dialogue tables between the private company and the Executive. “It is not about co-governing,” said De La Lastra, who said that there are experts in different areas in the private sector who can contribute to finding solutions.

The unions complained that a total quarantine had been opted for and that other measures had not been taken before, such as making the use of screens mandatory.