In April the Central Bank of Costa Rica predicted that by the end of 2020 GDP would fall by 3.6%, but due to the current health and economic crisis scenario the projections worsened, and now a 5% contraction in production is estimated.
The effect of the current international situation would be transmitted to the national economy through various channels: growth in trading partners, lower prices of raw materials and financial conditions, according to an official report.
After authorities suspended the start of Phase 2 on two occasions, the government of El Salvador announced that the second phase of the economic reopening plan would begin on August 20.
July 19 was the second time that the entry into force of this Phase was postponed, as it was initially planned to begin the second stage of the economic reopening process as of July 7, which contemplates the reactivation of the plastic, paper, cardboard and footwear industries, in addition to call centers, restaurants and public transportation.
The Council of Ministers approved that Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula will return from July 29 to Phase I of the Opening Plan, which allows companies to operate with 20% of their workforce.
According to the proposal put forward by the Multisectoral Table, commerce and companies in general were authorized so that as of Wednesday, July 29, they can resume their activities and business, according to the percentage of the workforce, as per the authorized region, using the biosecurity protocols approved by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.
As of July 27, the different production activities can be carried out, as long as the restrictions of the Health Alert System for the covid-19 epidemic are met, which will have a municipal, departmental or regional scope.
After more than four months of restrictions on the mobility of people and some economic activities, President Alejandro Giammattei explained on the night of July 26 that the country will enter a phase of reopening the economy.
President Nayib Bukele announced his decision to delay for a second time the start of Phase 2 of the Economic Reopening Plan, which was scheduled for July 21.
"After hearing the opinions of experts and, above all, the Ministry of Health, the governing body for health, and despite the fact that what our country needs is strict quarantine and not just complementary measures, I have decided to suspend Phase 2 of the economic reopening," Bukele explained on his Twitter account.
In order to control the spread of covid-19, the authorities decided to decree total quarantines on Saturdays and Sundays in the provinces of Panama and West Panama.
Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre, reported that the total quarantine is established for Saturdays and Sundays, which will be in effect from this Friday, July 17, until further notice. The measure is lifted on Mondays at 5:00 am. These measures apply to Panama and West Panama.
The Government will decide whether or not to remove the restrictions imposed by the spread of covid-19, based on the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants reported by municipality, department or region.
On July 12 on a national channel, President Alejandro Giammattei announced that as of July 27 a health alert system will be established to de-escalate and escalate the restrictions.
As a result of non-compliance with biosecurity protocols, the increase in the number of cases and the saturation of hospital capacity, Phase I of the Intelligent Opening Process was suspended.
On June 8, business activities began to restart. However, the increase in the number of people infected forced the authorities to back off and cancel the start of Phase I, a decision that was communicated on June 21.
Arguing that the country is at risk of taking the route of an exponential covid-19 infection curve, the government suspended phase 3 of the commercial reopening and decreed new vehicle restrictions for June 20-21.
Due to the increase in cases announced on June 19 at a press conference, the government decided to tighten health measures issued by the Ministry of Health to contain the spread of the disease, thus postponing the third phase of reopening announced on June 18.
The Ministerial Agreement was published in the Diario de Centroamerica, which specifies the four phases to be applied for the de-escalation of containment measures for the reactivation of economic activity in the country.
According to the official document, Phase 0, which is called "De-escalation Preparation", will provide relaxation of the confinement measures that will allow relief to citizens and workplaces, allowing mobility outside the home.
Allowing the operation of economic sectors with low density and lower risk of transmission of covid-19, with the respective biosecurity measures, is the request of the Panamanian business sector to begin to revive the economy.
In this scenario of health emergency and spread of covid-19, businessmen have already held talks with both the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) on the gradual opening of activities that lead to the resumption of work in sectors that commit to do so through strict compliance with general and specific protocols approved by the authorities, explains a publication by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP).
Guatemalan businessmen believe that in order to reactivate economic activity in the country, it is necessary to restrict the number of people in public spaces and increase the number of tests performed on those who have signs of carrying the virus.
"Growth remains susceptible to adverse shocks to global growth, economic and socio-political stress in Nicaragua, the continued weakness in consumer and business confidence, and uncertainty regarding the implementation of the fiscal reform.”
After the slowdown in growth between 2017 and early 2019, the economy has recovered since mid-2019, as a result of a rebound in services, agriculture and manufacturing, which produced an estimated 2.1% growth in 2019, reported the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
During November 2019, the Monthly Index of Economic Activity reported a 3.6% year-on-year change, which was largely determined by commercial activities and financial intermediation.
Among the categories of economic activity showing positive behavior were: commerce, transportation, storage and communications, public administration, financial intermediation, agriculture, electricity and water, mining and quarrying, and domestic services, reported the General Comptroller of the Republic.
With the 2.9% year-on-year change reported in the IMAE in November 2019, the economy has accumulated six consecutive months of acceleration.
The country's production, measured through the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE), registered a 2.9% year-on-year growth in November, the highest since July 2018, reported the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR).