Business groups call for faster reopening timeline

Less than 24 hours after the Government announced its timetable for the reopening of the economy  The  National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep)  said it would propose an alternative timeline to avoid a coming debacle.

The statement came from  the Council’s   Julio De la Lastra, on Wednesday, August 26 during a “Café con La Prensa” virtual conference

He said that extending the reopening of economic activities is not positive for the crisis that the country is experiencing, due to coronavirus pandemic.

“We will propose a timeline that considers the debacle we see coming. The reopening should not be extended any further, ”De La Lastra said. He calculated that 40% of companies will not be able to open and that others will do so slowly; also that the number of unemployed could reach 400,000 as part of the negative effect of the situation, which would mean going from 7.1% to 20%.

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) announced on Tuesday that on  September 7, construction activities will be allowed to restart. On  September 28, the reopening of restaurants, stores  and national aviation is contemplated.

 International aviation, meanwhile, will continue to be restricted until October 12, the date on which hotels and other tourist activities would be allowed to reopen.

“We will continue to oppose any measure that does not make sense to us. We are interested in preserving as many jobs as possible and this is done by strengthening companies. With this we are going to contribute to the social stability that we are talking so much about and that we need so much in the country, ”said the Conep leader

“This country has a resilient population and we are going to get out of it, I have no doubt, but you have to have a sense of urgency, make the best decisions that benefit all citizens and not a specific group,” he added.

Elisa Suárez, president of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (Apede), stressed that it is urgent that the government put a stop to so much bureaucracy since that negatively affects the reopening.

“We have to eliminate bureaucracy. It was a problem before and it continues to be a problem today, ”she said and recalled that President Cortizo gave instructions that the public sector to be the facilitator and guide of the productive sector, and not intimidating, 

Suárez argues that reactivation requires the support of the Panamanian banking system. “If we cannot have a bank to finance us, because a law limits them, that will not help reactivation,” she said.

She called on the National Assembly to move direction to reactivate the economy. She warned that there are currently about 10 bills with proposals that “would make our country an unproductive country … They say they seek equity and the only thing they would do is plunge the country into poverty.”

She warned that with “populist” laws, neither economic recovery nor employment will be achieved.