I was originally planning on adding a blog post today about the light at the end of the tunnel getting farther and farther away. Due to the expanding number of Covid case in Panamá the date for the borders and airspace reopening was moved form June 22 to July 22. We are really looking forward to getting back to the USA to see family, friends, and just doing some different things. When the date was moved we were very disappointed but looking at the surging new Covid cases in the US maybe its just as well we hold off for now. Somehow, that does not make us feel any better, but here we are.
Late yesterday we read on the local news that President Cortizo has removed three cabinet ministers: The Minister of Health, the Minister of Social Development, and the Minister of Housing and Land Management. Rosario Turner, the Minister of Health, has had an almost impossible job trying to control the spread of the pandemic and balance the means to do that with the economic and social needs of the people. We will see how the incoming Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, manages.
Its early to tell exactly what this means for us, but I believe that here in Chiriqui the schedule for moving forward with reopening sectors of the economy may be accelerated. This will certainly be welcome news to us. Certainly, some changes will be forthcoming.
We have seen friends here hightail it back to the US on some of the humanitarian flights, and some will probably not return. Nancy and I are not sure how much greener the grass is back in the states right now, but its home and we do miss it. We are hopeful the governmental shake up here will change things for the better. Time will tell…
Saludos, Craig