Panama’s Chamber of Commerce and  Industries (Cciap) has asked the government to reconsider the closure of trails, national parks, and beaches.

The business union says that the indefinite closure on weekends is a restriction that contradicts the very essence of these areas, qualified by experts as suitable for healthy recreation and the welfare of people.

The closure was ordered to reduce the spread of Covid-19 that has increased since the end of December.

"It is necessary that the authorities reconsider the total opening of these places, where the risk of contagion has been proven to be very low, with provisions that limit crowds, while allowing tourists to move to their destinations," says the Chamber.

The sector recalls that the measurements of the Center for Economic Studies of this union that until 2019, the national tourism industry employed about 240,000  people; of this amount, 103,000  were in hotels and restaurants. The rest in different activities such as land transport, car rental, commerce, recreational and cultural activities, travel agencies and air transport.

“As the main tourist target markets begin to vaccinate their population, these people will be resuming their trips, looking for destinations that are ready to receive them with the pertinent biosecurity measures. This is how destinations such as Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico have already understood it; Panama must be prepared to capture this demand ”.

The Cciap said that the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the placement of a new international bond issue, and that these resources should be used for investments aimed at recovering health, social assistance, and the economy in general.