Twelve months after Central America began a health and economic crisis triggered by the covid-19 outbreak, Guatemala was the fastest recovering economy and Panamanian economic activity is the slowest to return to pre-pandemic levels.
In March 2020, the first cases of covid-19 began to be detected in the countries of the region. The highly contagious disease, which at that time had already claimed the lives of thousands of people around the world, forced Central American governments to establish mobility restrictions.
As a result of the restrictions on mobility and the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages, which were decreed in 2020 to mitigate the outbreak of covid-19, it is estimated that the smuggling of liquor from Mexico into the Guatemalan market increased considerably.
According to the report Prohibitions, illicit alcohol and lessons to be learned from the covid-19 lockdown, prepared by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (Tracit), the dry law imposed for long periods boosted sales of smuggled alcoholic beverages.
After restrictions were imposed on people's mobility during the holiday season to stop the spread of covid-19, Panamanian authorities reported that as of January 14 there will be a return to the process of "gradual and asymmetric reopening.
In a press conference, the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, informed that due to the fact that a balance was achieved in the incidence of covid-19 cases, it was decided to lift the quarantine that had been in place since the beginning of the year and as of January 14 the curfew for the entire country will be from 9:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. the following day.
In order to control the spread of covid-19, from December 18 to January 4 there will be a national curfew and dry law, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day.
A total quarantine will also be established from Friday, December 25 at 7pm until Monday, December 28 at 5am and from Friday, January 1 at 7pm until Monday, January 4 at 5am.
Although the end of the year holidays is a threat to Central America for a second wave of covid-19 infections, it is expected that total closures will not be decreed since there are currently effective health control options, and less costly for the economy.
When the first cases of covid-19 were reported in the region in March 2020, most governments decided to paralyze a large part of productive activities and decree home quarantines.
In Guatemala, for the months when the quarantine was most severe, sales of live cattle were cut in half due to movement restrictions, lack of transportation, and market closures.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, authorities agreed to impose severe restrictions on the circulation of people during April, May, June, and July, including total closures of the economy during several weekends.
After the Municipality of the head of the province of San Marcos, in Guatemala, decreed several trade restrictions to contain the advance of covid-19, the Constitutional Court decided to suspend them.
The country's highest court in constitutional matters heard the case after the Chamber of Commerce filed an action for protection against the provisions of the municipal corporation of the capital city of San Marcos, which were published on August 11 and are contained in Act 73-2020.
After five months of implementing measures to mitigate the covid-19 outbreak, the business sector in Panama is calling for the removal of unreasonable, technical and unconstitutional restrictions that are working against the success of economic and social recovery.
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.
In the scenario of the health crisis and the decreed quarantine, it is reported that as of April, the balance of savings deposits of individuals amounted to $5,283 million, 15% more than the same month in 2019.
At the beginning of the year the authorities of the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH) estimated that for this year deposits in the financial system would increase by about 8%, however, this figure has almost doubled.
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.
In recent weeks, Central American countries have reported an increase in the number of people who have moved to locations identified as supermarkets or pharmacies.
Due to the quarantines decreed by the governments of the region because of the covid-19 outbreak, in mid-April the concentration of people in residential areas of the cities registered its maximum level, but in the last weeks this trend has started to reverse, as consumers have visited more shops.
Attending only customers by appointment and the mandatory use of facemasks and masks are some of the rules that in the new commercial scenario, beauty salons and barbershops in El Salvador must comply with.
After almost three months of house quarantine decreed by the authorities due to the covid-19 outbreak, the country began to implement the economic recovery plan as of June 16.
Full opening by regions and not by blocks, reactivation of construction and the establishment of an emergency financial assistance plan are some of the proposals of the Panamanian business sector to face the economic and health crisis.
For the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (Apede) the confinement measures do not manage to stop the advance of covid-19 transmission, but they do cause negative effects on employment levels in the country.
What to consume, what to stop consuming, which habits to adopt to improve health and to which lines of expenditure to invest more financial resources, are some of the questions that consumers in Central America are asking in the context of the new normal.
The covid-19 outbreak generated a revolution in the markets of Central America and its different economic sectors.
Real Estate Development & Adventure Park Jacó, Costa Rica. Multiple Investment Opportunities Available. The Ocean Ranch eco-residential development is located...