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Panama has officially released their tourism reopening plan, which was approved this Tuesday by the cabinet, and has international aviation and tourism activities set to restart on October 12, 2020.
The government has suspended international commercial flights since March 22, but come October 12 after almost 6 months of lockdown, they could see a resurgence in international tourism once again.
Panama’s reopening plan starts first with restarting domestic tourism on September 28th, and then two weeks later on October 12, finally reopening borders to international tourists and foreigners.
Panama’s Reopening Timeline
September 28th
- Domestic flights
- Retail shops
- Restaurants and cafes with dine-in options
- Tour guides
- Travel agencies and travel operators
- Spas and aesthetic services
- Beaches
- Outdoor activities like parks, water sports, etc
October 12th
- International flights
- Hotels, motels, hostels and other accommodations
- Tourism activities and non-essential transportation
- Swimming pools
No date yet determined:
- Gyms and fitness centres
- Movie theatres, museums, galleries, etc
- Casinos
- Concerts, parades and carnivals
- Nightclubs and discos
Para que se cumplan con estas reaperturas, es fundamental:
— Presidencia de Panamá (@presidenciapma) August 27, 2020
✅ Índice de RT menor a 1%
✅ Índice de letalidad menor a 3%,
✅ Disponibilidad de camas en un 20%
✅ Disponibilidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Respiratorios en un 15%. pic.twitter.com/Tlu8qecFcJ
The government of Panama has a few caveats in place in order to keep the October 12th reopening date. They will only reopen on that date IF, hospital beds are only at 20% occupancy, the respiratory care unit is only at 15% capacity, and the death rate is under 3%.
If those above criteria determined by the Ministry of Health are not met, Panama will once again push back the reopening of the country.
Entry Requirements for Panama
- Travelers will be required to present a negative COVID PCR test taken no more than 48 hours prior to their arrival time in Panama. (Some new reports say this has been extended to 96 hours)
- If a passenger’s COVID test was taken more than 48 hours before the moment of arrival, they will be mandated to take a rapid COVID test at the airport before customs and the traveler will have to cover the costs of said test.
- There are currently no restrictions on entry from any country.
- Travel Insurance that covers COVID-19 is highly recommended
Panama has been one of the most locked down nations in the world, only ending their government-imposed restrictions on movement on August 24th. The movement restrictions only permitted adults to go outside for two hours per day, determined by their government ID number. This extremely strict protocol has now ended but has been replaced by a curfew running from 7:00pm to 5:00am, with Sunday being a fully curfewed day.
Curfews are expected to be lifted on September 28th to coincide with the domestic reopening of the country.
Panama still has very strict mask requirements in place and plans to keep the regulations during reopening. Any person in public spaces without a proper mask covering both nose and mouth can be detained and/or fined.
Read More: See all the countries in Latin America that have reopened for tourism, and which countries are accepting American and Canada tourists.
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- Originally Published: August 27, 2020
Sophia
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Is the land border open? Coming from Costa Rica
Kashlee Kucheran
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Sorry we don't have any reliable land border information at this time
Emil
Wednesday 14th of October 2020
If I risk to be deteined, then simply I won't go to Panama.
Bob
Monday 5th of October 2020
Thank you, Kashlee, for the timely and helpful information. I am flying from Florida to Tocumen on the evening of Oct 12 on Spirit (following a one-hour layover connection from Detroit). I'm worried about the 48-hour COVID test mandate. With Monday travel, I don't know how to get a result that is current over the weekend. It seems better to just skip the US test and rely on the rapid test in Tocumen. Your thoughts? Anything more to the rumor of a 96-hour window? Thanks again. Bob
Kashlee Kucheran
Monday 5th of October 2020
Hi Bob! The text seems to contradict itself several times with the 48 hours vs the 96 hours. From what I can see, it seems if you have a test dated under 48 hours = no test on arrival. If the test is between 48-96 hours = a 2nd test on arrival at your cost. If you do not have a test (or it's over 96 hours) you may not be able to board, and I am not sure what will happen on arrival, as it could be a test, or perhaps a 14-day quarantine.
If it were me, I would try and get a test under 96 hours and just have enough cash on my person to do a 2nd test on arrival if that is what they require.