2020 in Panama

Events in the year 2020 in Panama.

← 2019 2018 2017 2020 in Panama → 2021 2022 2023
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2020 Timeline of Panamanian history

Incumbents

• President: Laurentino Cortizo
• Vice President: José Gabriel Carrizo
• President of the National Assembly: Marcos Castillero

Events

• 7 January – The Panama Canal watershed is at its fifth driest in 70 years, according to the Panama Canal Authority.^[1]
• 5 February – Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo fires Security Minister Rolando Mirones and Government Minister Carlos Romero after the February 3 prison escape of Gilberto Ventura Ceballos.^[2]
• 9 February – The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) requests that foreigners be allowed to work in the country in order to promote economic development.^[3]
• 13 February – A new metro line will go under the Panama Canal to reach western suburbs of Panama City at a cost of US$2.5 billion. It is part of a $4 billion infrastructure project including a bridge over the canal.^[4]
• 9 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Panama: The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country is reported.^[5]
• 13 March – COVID-19 pandemic
  • The government declared a state of emergency. The move frees US$50 million for a period of 180 days to purchase goods and services to combat COVID-19.^[6]
  • Leaders of Panama, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic signed an agreement for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.^[7]
• 15 March – In a historic first, all Peace Corps volunteers worldwide are withdrawn from their host countries.^[8]
• 28 March – COVID-19 pandemic: Panama and Costa Rica fail in attempts to move thousands of migrants from Africa, Asia, and Haiti amassed in shelters as a precaution against COVID-19. Panama has 901 confirmed infections and 17 deaths.^[9]
• 28 April – Juan Carlos Muñoz, vice-minister of the Presidency of Panama resigns after being accused of corruption.^[10]
• 29 April – Residents of Felipillo, Panama, block the Pan-American Highway for twelve hours, demanding the bono solidario (solidarity bonus) promised by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]
• 11 June – The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a decrease in malaria in Latin America, although there are fears that many cases are going undetected as sick people stay home instead of going to hospitals. Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua report increases, the last by 25%.^[12]
• 9 July – COVID-19 pandemic: Panama reports 41,251 cases, which puts it in first place in Latin America for the number of infections based upon population, ahead of Brazil and Mexico.^[13] Panama has 4,316,453 inhabitants^[14] for a rate of 104.6 cases per million inhabitants.
• 12 July – Dr. Maria Franca Tallarico, the head of health for the Americas regional office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns that many Latin American countries have reduced efforts to combat dengue fever outbreaks.^[15]
• 25 July – COVID-19 pandemic: Mexico and Japan send medical supplies to ten Latin American countries, including Panamá, Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.^[16]
• August 17 – COVID-19 pandemic: Panama reopens hair salons and churches.^[17]
• 4 September – An earthquake with a 5.6 magnitude strikes Panama and Costa Rica; no reported injuries or damages.^[18]
• 11 September – United States invasion of Panama: Remains of victims of the 1989 invasion in Colón are exhumed for identification.^[19]
• 13 September – COVID-19 pandemic: Panama reports about 100,000 cases, higher than anywhere else in Central America. Panama is also the Central American country that has performed the most tests—389,000.^[20]
• 15 September – Governor Erick Martelo of Guna Yala is forced to resign after being caught traveling in a car containing 79 packages of illegal drugs.^[21]
• 16 December – COVID-19 pandemic: Panama approves the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is scheduled to be administered in the first trimester of 2021.^[22]
• 24 December – COVID-19 Pandemic: Two hundred doctors arrive from Cuba to fight the virus.^[23]

Deaths

• August 2 – Bobby Prescott, baseball player (b. 1931).^[24]
• September 16 – Apolonio Lombardo, 86, footballer (national team).^[25]
• October 13 – Arysteides Turpana [es], 76, Guna writer, academic and poet.^[26]

See also

• 2020 in Central America
• 2020 in the Caribbean
• 2020 in politics and government
• COVID-19 pandemic in Panama
• Central American Parliament
• List of number-one tropical songs of 2020 (Panama)
• 2020s
• 2020s in political history

References

1. "Panama Canal watershed records 5th driest year in 7 decades". Associated Press. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
2. Guerrel, Ismael Gordón (5 February 2020). "Fuga del convicto Ventura Ceballos desencadena renuncia de dos ministros" [Escape by convict Ventura Ceballos triggers resignation of two ministers]. La Estrella de Panamá (in Spanish). from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
3. "Empresarios de Panamá piden abrir mercado laboral a extranjeros calificados" [Panama businessmen ask to open a labor market to qualified foreigners]. La Estrella de Panamá (in Spanish). EFE. 9 February 2020. from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
4. "Panama City metro expansion to go through tunnel under canal". Associated Press. 13 February 2020. from the original on 23 October 2021.
5. Moreno, Elida (11 March 2020). "Panama reports first coronavirus death, seven more people infected". Reuters. from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
6. Avarado, Abel (14 March 2020). "Panamá declara estado de emergencia nacional y anuncia medidas contra el coronavirus" (in European Spanish). CNN. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
7. Central America agrees to regional plan vs. coronavirus; Costa Rican film festival suspended AFP and The Tico Times, 13 Mar 2020
8. "Peace Corps announces suspension of Volunteer activities, evacuations due to COVID-19". Peace Corps. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020. "U.S. To Evacuate All Peace Corps Volunteers Due To Coronavirus". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
9. Murillo, Alvaro (28 March 2020). "Migrants in Central American limbo as coronavirus relocation plans falter". Reuters. from the original on 20 June 2020.
10. "Renuncia el viceministro de la Presidencia de Panamá, Juan Carlos Muñoz". CNN en Español (in European Spanish). 29 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
11. "Grupo de panameños protesta por 12 horas pidiendo al gobierno ayuda económica". CNN (in Spanish) (in European Spanish). 29 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
12. "Malaria retrocede en forma dispar en América Latina" [Malaria is declining unevenly in Latin America]. La Jornada (in Mexican Spanish). 14 June 2020. from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
13. Lima, Lioman (9 July 2020). "Cómo Panamá se convirtió en el país de América Latina con más casos nuevos de coronavirus por número de habitantes" (in Spanish). BBC News Mundo. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
14. "Panama Population (2020) - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
15. Milko, Victoria; Ghosal, Aniruddha (12 July 2020). "Dengue prevention efforts stifled by coronavirus pandemic, doctors warn". Associated Press. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
16. "México y Japón apoyan con insumos médicos a países de América Latina por Covid-19". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2020.
17. "Panamá reabre peluquerías e iglesias en plena expansión de la pandemia" [Panama reopens barbershops and churches in the midst of pandemic expansion]. El Observador (in Spanish). Agence France-Presse. 17 August 2020. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
18. "Sismo de magnitud 5.6 remece Panamá y Costa Rica; no hay daños" [Earthquake of magnitude 5.6 shakes Panama and Costa Rica; no damages]. Excelsior (in Spanish). Reuters. 4 September 2020. from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
19. "Exhumarán en Colón víctimas panameñas de invasión de EEUU" [Panamanian victims of U.S. invasion to be exhumed in Colón]. Associated Press (in Spanish). 11 September 2020. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
20. "Guatemala cumple seis meses de pandemia con la cifra más alta de muertes del istmo". EFE. 13 September 2020. from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
21. "Panama governor stopped in car with 79 drug parcels". BBC World News. 15 September 2020. from the original on 4 November 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
22. "Costa Rica y Panamá aprobaron el uso de emergencia de la vacuna contra el coronavirus de Pfizer". infobae (in European Spanish). Infobae. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
23. "Cuban doctors arrive in Panama to boost COVID fight". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
24. "Bobby Prescott, grandes ligas panameño, fallece a sus 89 años de edad" [Bobby Prescott, Panamanian major leaguer, dies at age 89]. La Prensa (in Spanish). 2 August 2020. from the original on 7 August 2020.
25. Fallece ex seleccionado nacional Apolonio Lombardo Rangel 26 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
26. Cajar B., Juan Alberto (13 October 2020). "Fallece el intelectual e investigador guna Arysteides Turpana" [Guna intellectual and researcher Arysteides Turpana dies]. La Estrella de Panamá (in Spanish). from the original on 16 October 2020.