PANAMA CITY, Aug 11 (Reuters) – Panama will from Monday allow work to resume on some infrastructure projects and permit more businesses to re-open from coronavirus lockdown, including retailers, car dealers, beauty salons and barber shops, the government said on Tuesday.
Health Minister Luis Sucre said officials had made the decision on the grounds the reproduction rate of the novel coronavirus in the country had dropped from 1.13 to 1.07, while the capacity of the health system had increased.
“We feel ready to face the pandemic even if (healthcare)demand were to increase,” Sucre told a news conference.
Retail outlets would be allowed to re-open for home delivery or for collection at the store, the government said.
Panama reported 1,115 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, raising the total to 76,464. The death toll stood at 1,680 after 16 new fatalities were logged in the last 24 hours. (Reporting by Elida Moreno; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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