News
Thursday 30th June 2022.
June 30, 2022
Three people died in the last 24 hours due to covid-19 and 1,828 were newly infected with the virus, highlights the Ministry of Health (Minsa) this Wednesday. According to the Minsa, four deaths from previous days are updated, so the accumulated number of deaths from the virus amounts to 8,359. In the last hours they applied 10,012 tests for a positivity of 18.3%. Active cases in the country total 15,188. Of those, 14,966 are in home isolation and 222 hospitalized. Those in isolation are divided into 14,956 at home and 10 in hotels. Those hospitalized are 189 Ward and 33 in intensive care units.
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) announced that as of this Thursday, (today) the immunization against covid-19 of the pediatric population (5 to 11 years of age) will continue, including the application of the first booster. Health authorities reported that this Wednesday they received a batch with 252,000 pediatric doses from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which were distributed in the different health regions.It was reported that the first and second doses will be applied, as well as the first reinforcement (third dose), against the new coronavirus in this age group.
The Supreme Court of Justice did not admit a claim of unconstitutionality filed by the mayor of the district of Panama, José Luis Fábrega, against the resolution of the Regional Directorate of Electoral Organization of Panama of March 3, 2022, which endorsed the collection of signatures to request the recall referendum of the mayor. The ruling, under the presentation of magistrate José Ayú Prado, specifies that the lawsuit filed by lawyer Carlos Carrillo, on behalf of Fábrega, does not explain with certainty what the act that is being challenged is and the concept of the infraction. The ruling even indicates that, at times, the plaintiff lacks arguments regarding the act that would violate the Constitution and that Carrillo’s brief has confusing wording.
The third administrative electoral court lifted the criminal electoral jurisdiction of former President of the Republic Ricardo Martinelli for the Odebrecht case . This is stated in an edict, published on the morning of this Wednesday. It must be remembered that Martinelli had been granted this privilege due to the internal elections of the Realizing Goals (RM) party that took place last April. However, the Third Criminal Court, in charge of Judge Baloisa Marquínez, had asked the Electoral Court (TE) to lift said jurisdiction from the former president to continue with the Odebrecht case. The defense of the former Panamanian president has two business days to file an appeal before the plenary session of the TE.
Agricultural cargo carriers and international cargo maintain partial closures on some roads in the province of Chiriquí, to demand concrete responses from the Government of Laurentino Cortizo about the rise in fuel prices. This Wednesday morning, the protesters completely closed the Inter-American highway, in the sector of the crossing towards Gualaca that leads to Bocas del Toro, specifically in the area of the Chiriquí corregimiento. But hours later they decided to open a single section of the road. Manuel Levigion, spokesman for the carriers, said that the governor of Chiriquí, Juan Carlos Muñoz Franceschi, appeared at the site of the closure. “He did not bring answers to the requests of the unions, he only asked that we return to the dialogue,” he added In Panama City, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Federico Alfaro Boyd, referred to the protest actions of these carriers. The official emphasized that all actions have consequences and that, in this case, the result is the impact on the supply chain that affects the ability of Panamanians to access these products.
A criminal complaint against the director of the Civil Aviation Authority (AAC), Gustavo Pérez Morales, and of Air Safety, Abdiel Fernández, was filed with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, after an investigation by La Prensa revealed that the entity was being used as springboard for personal business. The criminal complaint for the alleged commission of crimes against the public administration in its modalities of corruption of public servants, influence peddling, illicit association to commit a crime, money laundering and illicit enrichment was filed by the lawyer Justino González. “The head of Air Safety applies for himself the certification [as TAN] and he approves himself. This is absurd, this is a crime,” González complained.
The tropical cyclone that moves to the south of the Caribbean Sea is projected to pass near the north of Panama this Friday, July 1, announced the Hydrometeorology Department of the Transmission Company SA (Etesa). According to the latest report from Sinaproc, the winds of the cyclone, which is moving through the Venezuelan Caribbean, began to gain strength and vigilance is maintained in Colombia and the Central American Caribbean.
The National Secretary of Energy announced this Wednesday, June 29, that gasoline prices will register a decrease, while low-sulfur diesel will have a slight increase. According to the report, the cost of 95-octane gasoline will drop 7 cents to $1.52 a liter, while 91-octane gasoline will drop 8 cents to $1.37 a liter. With respect to low-sulfur diesel, it is specified that this fuel registered an increase of 1 cent and will be sold at 1.41 per liter. The new gasoline prices will take effect between July 1 and 15. With these adjustments, the maximum price per gallon of 95 octane gasoline will be $5.75; 91-octane gasoline, $5.14 and low-sulfur diesel, $5.29; in the cities of Panama and Colon. For the rest of the country, prices vary according to distance due to transportation costs.