2 Retire In Panama? NEWSLETTER 
April 19, 2021 Volume 30
This weeks feature photo...
...was shared by my friend Norma on Easter morning. Norma and her husband Frank have been in Panama for over 8 years. Recently they made the decision to return to the United States. They will be living in Florida, and we know that we will see them again in the future. Norma and Frank will be missed here in Panama and in our community. Join me in wishing them the best in their return to the States.
Tomorrow April 20th...
...I will be at Picasso for the Tuesday market signing books with Diane Maxwell. We will share a table and have books available. The cash price for my paperback book is $12. This includes shipping to Panama. Diane and I have both presented our stories of emigrating to Panama in a vastly different way. Please stop by say hello, get a book signed and visit. We both have enjoyed the support of the local community.
I am excited to be having an interview with Gerry D on the Breakfast Show at Cool FM 89.3 May the 5th. The station is at www.pbcpanama.com. Gerry's show is in English Monday to Friday from 6am-10am. I am scheduled for 9:30. I hope you will put it on your calendar. I will talk more about this as the interview nears. Gerry's listeners tune in from all over the world by the LISTEN LIVE button on the website. Following the interview, I have been invited to do another book signing at Gold Coast Brewery here in Coronado, Panama. More details for that event are coming soon.
Coronado Bible Church...
...will continue to have in person Sunday services at 8:30am and 10:30am as we move forward in the new normal. The health protocols will be in place at the church, and everyone is asked to register in advance for the worship services. The registration link will give times and describe the health protocols and what must be done by attendees who intend to be with us in person. Join us in person, by YouTube, or on Facebook.
Last Tuesday...
...I published an incredibly detailed blog post of our trip to Bocas Del Toro. Between Lyn, Ty, Jen, and I we took about 400 pictures. My picture tool has been giving me a little trouble, but I managed to share some great pictures from our adventure. If you read the post, you will notice that I never shared the name of the place we stayed. That was intentional because I only endorse places that I would return to. We did find some other places in Bocas that looked good enough to warrant a return visit. We experienced torrential rain which affected our enjoyment, but will probably return for another visit. The potential for awesome adventure at Bocas is endless.
I am sharing this from MINSA last Tuesday...
...April 13, 2021. The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre announced that as of today Monday, April 19, the curfew throughout the country will be from 12 midnight to four in the morning and the opening of bars with terraces will be allowed to fresh air.
He also said that as of April 19, the public will be allowed to attend outdoor sports activities with a capacity of 25% and without sale of liquor.
Businesses that deem it so will be allowed to open until 11pm so they have a greater opportunity to serve their clients, Sucre added.
At the same time, he reported that as of Saturday, April 17, the weekend quarantine will be lifted in the Changuinola district in the province of Bocas del Toro, thanks to the fact that it has presented favorable indices in recent weeks.
"The announcement of these new openings does not mean that we have won the battle against the virus, on the contrary, it implies that we must not lower our guard and continue to maintain biosecurity measures," said the health minister.
Sucre stressed that Panama has maintained a sustained rate in the number of cases detected, with a positivity of new cases this week of 3.9%, below the average.
“We are one of the countries in the region that also maintains the lowest active cases, which oscillate at 1.1%, while we maintain a sustained 97% of recovered and the lowest fatality in the region located at 1.7%, which translates into an adequate management of the pandemic until now, "he said.
He also announced that as of Today, April 19, the molecular COVID-19 test will be mandatory at the Tocumen Airport, which is more specific with a lower margin of error, for all travelers entering the country.
At the same time, he reported that it was decided to reduce the isolation of all travelers from South America from five to three days.
“Thanks to the epidemiological and genomic surveillance that we have maintained in all the entrances to the country, we have been able to detect four strains and variants of the New Coronavirus in Panama: South African, Brazilian, United Kingdom, and Californian, so as a country and authorities we are obliged to continue strengthening epidemiological and genomic surveillance with the sole purpose of detecting, controlling and preventing its spread ”, added Sucre who also recalled that pregnant women must come with the certification of their family doctor when vaccinating.
For today, the Expanded Program on Immunization (PAI) of the MINSA reports that since last January 20, when the first batch of vaccines arrived in Panama, 518,629 people have been vaccinated to date throughout the national territory.
"In the next few we will be receiving our tenth batch of vaccines against Covid-19 from the pharmaceutical house Pfizer, consisting of 77,220, totaling 607,230 doses and arriving to reinforce the vaccination process on 8-8 and start tomorrow very early in the 8-9 circuit", mentioned Minister Sucre.
The highest health authority recalled that the National Government enabled the platform vacunas.panamasolidario.gob.pa/verificate/, as well as line 177 and the raisa.minsa.gob.pa system so that they can know the time, place and the exact date of your vaccination appointment.
“Other sister countries are not only going through more severe outbreaks but are also decreeing new closures in order to contain the spread of the virus, both scenarios are not yet in sight in Panama, if we continue to respect the regulations issued and the biosecurity measures, whose the sole purpose is to preserve the life of everyone in the country”, he declared.
Sucre referred to the fact that Panama is currently one of the countries in America with the highest number of vaccinated people, according to a recent Forbes publication.
This week's fan photos...
...are new friends Karen, Mark, and Christina. They found our blog and connected when they were planning an exploratory trip to Panama. We got together last week and enjoyed a great meal at Nazca 21 together. Mark and Karen are planning to stay in Panama for 6 months to explore and look for their retirement home.
I am running out of original fan photos, so if you are willing, and can share a fan photo with me it would be greatly appreciated. It will appear in an upcoming newsletter.
It would also mean a lot to me if those of you who haven't, would go to Amazon or Goodreads and leave a review. This makes my book easier for people to find.
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.
Blessings from paradise,
Greg
