2 Retire In Panama? NEWSLETTER
Volume 15 January 4, 2021
Jen and I have been...
...traveling. Over the holidays, we visited some friends and family in the States. I have been able to keep up with Karyn Saunders daily COVID reports and share the results. This is her update as of January 1st.Thank you so much Karyn for continuing to keep ex-pats aware of the statistics:
Panama has 249,733 confirmed total cases + 2943 new, 42 new deaths resulting in a 1.6% death rate, 204 in ICU, 2067 are hospitalized, 11,297 new tests with 26% positive. 2790 are newly recovered, and the rate of transmission (RT) is at 1.1%.
On December 28th the U.S. Embassy reported that the Government of Panama has imposed nationwide restrictions which will last until January 14th. Starting today (Jan. 4th) these include a return to movement restrictions based on gender and ID number in Panama City and Panama Oeste. Check the Embassy website for time and day of personal movement based on your gender and ID number. A total quarantine and curfew are in effect from 8pm to 5am for Panama City and Panama Oeste. All non-essential businesses will be closed and essential businesses must close at 7:30pm. The remainder of the country will continue on the 7pm - 5am curfew.
A full nationwide lockdown will be emposed on the weekend of January 9th and 10th (Martyrs Day). During this lockdown one person from each household will be allowed to visit the cemetary.
It is my opinion that these new restrictions are being imposed due to the sharp increase in cases. Remember that November was a big holiday month with many family gatherings and partys. During these times people let their guard down and many got sick. With so many people sick, the hospitals have become overwhelmed. The government is only trying to curb these increases during the late December and early January holidays. The best way to stay safe is to stay home and use proper sanitation measures. Wash your hands and do not touch your face.
Before we took off for the United States...
...Jen and I got tested for COVID locally at the San Fernando Clinic. The process was nothing short of a goat rodeo. We got there 10 minutes before they opened and joined 30 people in line. MINSA should be very nervous about the procedure for being tested. We completed paperwork that was collected, and we waited with all the people. Most had the decorum to stay socially distanced, however I suspect that many of them were there because they had some symptom. After a while the woman brought back our papers and directed us to wait in a line to pay. It took almost 45 minutes in the pay line. Once we had made payment, it was relatively quick to be tested. Total time at the clinic was 1-1/2 hours at a cost of $45.00 each. We tested negative (results came back in 4 hours) which gave us comfort to travel to see some friends and relatives who are at high risk. The entire process was outside in the parking lot.
Today is our travel day home to Panama. We have remained careful by avoiding crowds and keeping our hand sanitizer handy. I recently reported that people were getting tested for COVID free at Walgreens or CVS prior to travel. We found that they were charging $139 - $150 USD at most testing centers near where we were visiting at the end of our trip. We have opted to get the test at Tocumen International Airport once we land this afternoon for $50. I will have to share our airport COVID test experience in next week's newsletter.
My coupon offer this week is...
...3 months of free music. 3 months of free music is available for new customers that try Amazon Unlimited Music. Click on the link to check out the deal. Amazon Unlimited Music is always ad-free, on-demand music. Listen off line and listen to your favorite music as much as you like. What a great way to load up the new device that you got for Christmas. With the free offer you have 3 months to try it out. This great offer is good until January 11, 2021.
Saturday January 9th...
...is Martyrs' Day in Panama. The paragraph below is an excerpt from Chapter 25 of my book.
Martyrs’ Day which is always on January 9 is a dark day in the history of the relationship between Panama and the United States. On January 9th, 1964 two-hundred Panamanian high school students marched to Balboa High School in the US Canal Zone to raise the Panamanian flag in what was expected to be a peaceful protest. By the end of that day, twenty-two Panamanians lay dead, and the city was in chaos.
This day is one where the U.S. Embassy will send us warnings not to travel into specific areas of the canal zone or go to certain areas around the Embassy. There continues to be anger with the United States surrounding this conflict. This is a day when there are protests against the United States; and Americans are warned to use due diligence when out and about on this holiday. We are not sure that protests will happen this year, though, due to the total quarantine. This was one of the most interesting pieces of research that I did in preparing to write my book.
My book has great detail of Panamanian history. If this interests you, pick up a copy to read more detail of the events taking place in a normal year. You can get a copy of my book by clicking the link here, or the link on the blog. It is exclusively available on Amazon or Kindle. Kindle Unlimited subscribers read it free.
One of the greatest...
...compliments an author gets is when he or she gets something special from a fellow author. A few weeks ago I got a great picture from a fellow author Jo Anne Cushman Burrill. Jo Anne writes the wonderful childrens series Granny Mouse Ears. Check out the link to see and purchase Jo Anne's books. Jen and I made sure our grandkids all got her book for Christmas in 2019. Jo Anne was selected to recieve a Distinguished Favorite distinction for her book this year in the NYC Big Book Awards in the childrens book catagory.
Blessings from paradise,
Greg 