Friday

Friday 3rd September 2021.

September 3, 2021

The epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) this Thursday, September 2, highlighted that in the last 24 hours there have been 3 deaths due to Covid-19, bringing a total of 7,069 accumulated deaths, for a lethality of 1.5% . While in Panama there are 444,476 recovered patients from the new coronavirus. Active cases, according to the Minsa, total 7,093. In addition, this Thursday, 481 new positive cases were detected, for a total accumulated throughout the country of 458,638. According to the health authorities, 8,673 tests were applied to detect those infected, a percentage of positivity of 5.5% is maintained. On the other hand, 6,713 people are reported in home isolation, of which 6,477 are at home and 236 in so-called hospital hotels. Meanwhile, there are 380 hospitalized of them 282 are in a ward and 98 in intensive care units.

The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre , reported yesterday that the request made by various unions to lift the national curfew measure “is on the table.” That is, the subject is being analyzed together with a technical team. “What we cannot do is run, lest we fall,” Sucre told the media. He gave as an example the case of other countries that have tried to “evolve very quickly” and then have had to return to new restrictive measures.

People who enter Panama by air, land or sea can access their digital health affidavit on the web portal viajes.panamadigital.gob.pa Luis Oliva , administrator of the National Government Innovation Authority (AIG) , explained that whoever comes from abroad and wishes to enter the country, whether Panamanians or otherwise, must complete the declaration.

The Judicial Branch opened an internal investigation into the actions of the judge who ordered the release of the alleged gang leader José Cossio, despite the fact that he had not finished serving the 74-month prison sentence, which was imposed on him for drug-related crimes. Cossio was finally captured in Costa del Este, last weekend, and returned to the maximum security island prison set up in Punta Coco. The National Police referred to him as “one of the most wanted” throughout the country. In the act to commemorate the 10 years of validity of the accusatory criminal system in the Second Judicial District (Coclé and Veraguas), the presiding magistrate of the Court, Luis Ramón Fábrega , said that an investigation was opened to find out why the first liquidating judge Deputy Gerardo Ríos ordered Cossio’s release on September 14, 2020, and how it was carried out.

The deputies of the Government Commission of the National Assembly approved this Thursday, September 2, the first block of the bill that reforms the Electoral Code . These are articles 1 to 75 that cover topics on cleaning up the electoral roll, the constitution of political parties, political alliances, donation caps and public financing. The magistrates of the Tribunal Electoral participated in the discussion and warned that proposals have been presented that generate a setback in electoral matters. “The political class represented in the Assembly, in the last reform [of 2017], rose above their party interests to give the country deep and democratic electoral reforms. It was perhaps the greatest advance that Panama has had. And as that law implies profound reforms, the Electoral Court does not agree that any of those reforms embodied in Law 29 of 2017 be repealed, ”said Heriberto Araúz, president magistrate of the TE.

The Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, reported a little more than 70 thousand migrants have passed through the country so far this year. According to Pino, this is a “record figure.” The minister explained that the migratory flow in 2020 was 8,500 and, in 2019, 22,100. “Panama currently has a controlled migratory flow,” in coordination with Colombia and Costa Rica, said Pino, who supported this Thursday the institution’s budget for the 2022 term in the Budget Commission of the National Assembly.

The Panama Maritime Chamber expressed its rejection of bill No. 94 of 2019, which modifies Law 56 of 2008 or the General Law of Ports. The organization considers that, due to these “particular and difficult” circumstances of economic recovery due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the aforementioned project could “undermine the efforts of the Government” that seek to attract foreign investment and contribute to the creation of jobs.

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