MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2021) Panama is restricting the entry of foreigners from all South American countries starting Wednesday, after a case of the Brazilian variant was confirmed in a patient who had traveled to Brazil, Panama's Health Ministry has announced.
"We are temporarily suspending the entry into the country of any person who has stayed or transited through any South American country in the past 15 days, except for nationals and residents of Panama, who upon entering must take a #COVID19 test and enter quarantine," the ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.
The new restrictions on travel will come into force on Wednesday, March 31, the ministry specified, adding that the measures were prompted by the discovery of the Brazilian strain in the country.
"The P1 Sars Cov-2 variant was detected in the country in a positive patient from Brazil," the ministry said, adding that the foreigner had been living in Panama, but traveled to her country of origin and tested positive for COVID-19 upon her return to Panama from Brazil.
According to the latest health ministry data, Panama has a total of 353,497 confirmed coronavirus cases, while the country's COVID-19 death toll stands at over 6,000.
