Source: Travel Off Path – By KASHLEE
KUCHERAN
Panama’s Minister of Health, Luis
Francisco Sucre, announced a decision had been reached at a recent government
council that will allow vaccinated tourists to bypass testing and/or quarantine
requirements for entry into Panama.
He stated as long as travelers can
show certification that they’ve received both doses of the vaccine, they can
enter Panama without showing proof of a negative PCR or antigen test.
This story is breaking news and Sucre
did not clarify in the press conference if vaccinated tourists are welcome
effective immediately, or if an official start-date is to be implemented soon.
Details to come.
Panama is the latest country to join
the fast-growing list of nations that are making travel exceptions for
vaccinated passengers. As of March 18, 2021, there are 14 countries on the
list, with dozens more expected to join before summer.
Since reopening for foreign visitors,
Panama has established several biosecurity protocols to allow for the safe
return of tourism. All arrivals are expected to show proof of a negative PCR or
antigen test, performed no longer than 48 hours before arrival. Any passenger
who arrives without proof of a negative test, or whose test has gone over the
48-hour time-frame, must perform a test upon arrival at the cost of $50 USD.
All passengers must also fill out an
online health declaration form before entering Panama.
While tourists from all countries are
now permitted to visit with the above testing requirements, there is a
temporary ban on travelers from the United Kingdom and South Africa due to
variant strains. It is unknown at this time if vaccinated travelers from these
two nations will now be permitted to visit under the new exceptions.
Sucre mentioned his continued concern
about the variants in South Africa and the UK, but also mentioned the USA and
Brazil are countries they intend to keep an eye on and potentially increase
protocols from.
Visitors will find most attractions,
venues and hotels have reopened, including: beaches, tours, movie theatres,
hotels, restaurants, casinos, salons, shopping malls, shops, gyms, museums,
national parks, golf courses, pools, etc – although they may have limited
capacity or reduced hours at this time.