RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Panama has relaxed entry requirements for tourists due to a decline in Covid-19 cases and an increase in vaccinations in the country. The measure was welcomed by the Panama Chamber of Tourism, which has been calling for the changes for months in an effort to reactivate the destination, which already welcomes cruise ships and has opened its new convention center.
The Panamanian Ministry of Health announced that as of Monday, August 31, entry regulations have been completely changed. All travelers are exempt from any type of Covid-19 testing upon arrival in the country, as well as effective quarantine, as long as they have a complete vaccination schedule.
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Preventive quarantine is reduced from 7 days to 72 hours (plus two PCR tests) for unvaccinated travelers from high-risk countries, including several of Panama’s major markets: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Ecuador, the United Kingdom and others.
Certification that the two doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered must be accredited digitally or physically by presentation of the appropriate vaccination card prior to entry, as specified in Executive Decree 832 of August 30.
The last dose must have been administered at least 14 days after the use of vaccines recognized in Panama, that is, vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
“Now vaccinated individuals from all countries with a complete vaccination schedule can enter our country without having to meet additional health requirements,” it says.
NEW REGULATION
If the traveler comes from countries classified as low epidemiological risk and does not have a complete vaccination schedule, he or she must present a negative test result (PCR or antigen) within 72 hours to be exempt from the 72-hour preventive quarantine.
The decree stipulates that travelers coming from high-risk countries who cannot present a complete vaccination record will be quarantined at their own expense for 72 hours at home or in an approved hotel, and at the end of that time will have to undergo a PCR or antigen test, the negative result of which will end the quarantine.
As of this Monday, the mandatory Covid-19 test will also be waived for travel within the country, as the number of cases is low and the vaccination process in the country is well advanced.
CRUISES AND CONGRESSES
The website of Promtur, the agency responsible for managing destinations in Panama, provides detailed information on travel regulations useful for international travel agents.
Panama reopened to cruise ships last week. Windstar Cruises’ Star Breeze, bound for ports in the Caribbean and Pacific, was the first cruise ship carrying passengers to transit the Panama Canal since the pandemic began.
The entry of passengers into the national territory by sea will be subject to measures already enacted by the World Health Organization regarding high-risk countries, Promtur said. “This modern facility puts our country in a very competitive position at the regional level for events and convention tourism,” they said.