Easter Weekend and tough policies

April 11, 2020

Being on Full Quarantine isn’t all that bad, unless you decide to venture out today or tomorrow when the local government has been very clear on their messages.     I wasn’t planning on writing this weekend until my good friend Chuck forgot about today also being added as a full quarantine day.  He was quick to figure it out and went back home after noting that the Super 99 and everything else was closed.  It made me realize that writing these articles for the English-only community just isn’t enough.  As a community we all need to look outside our normal circle of comfort and see who’s out there and who may need help.  That person maybe you as well, but there’s always someone who needs it more.

A long time ago, I was a Boy Scout.  I remember at Camp Tesomas in northern Wisconsin, we were put through several tests disguised as games.  One of them was a social experiment and there was only one way to “win”, but they didn’t tell you how until the end of the experiment.  Every scout was a “bird”.  Some were completely healthy and some had certain disabilities.  Some scouts were blindfolded, some had their legs tied together and others their hands tied behind their backs.  Then we were all told that bird food was hidden in the woods in the form of clothes pins and we all had to go out to eat.  As you could image the healthy “birds” were off to a good start, but the ones who were disabled had a harder time gathering their food.  Each scout had to gather at least 4 clothes pins and make it back to the starting point within 10 minutes.  Needless to say, all of the healthy birds got back with more than their share, but nearly all of the injured or disabled birds either didn’t get enough, got nothing, or didn’t get back within the 10 minutes.  We failed the experiment.  The only way to win was for all of the scouts to come back as a group, each with at least 4 clothes pins.  Just like that social experiment of nearly 40 years ago, the only way we can all win in this time of crisis is if we ALL make it back ok.  

We’re smack dab in the middle of Easter and Passover.  Both celebrations are joyous occasions which, in their own way, give new hope to their followers.  Whether you’re Christian or Jewish (or neither), take a moment to check on all of your friends.  Reach out to everyone on your cell phone list and ask if they´re ok.  Sometime all it takes for someone to make it through another day is a thoughtful call from a friend or relative.  In my last article, I wrote about Cookies for Cops.  That was also just a suggestion, of course, but the whole point I want to make is that now is the time to be thoughtful at the least and generous if you can. 

GOOD BYE CAR, GOOD BYE DRIVER’S LICENSE:

As I began writing this report, Executive Decree Number 266, of April 11, 2020 officially came out.  As all government decrees go, the first page is written to give their reasons for the decree and the new measures they are implementing.   The second page, the meat of the decree, says the following:

Transitory article:  During the State of National Emergency declared by Cabinet Resolution Number 11 of March 13, 2020, all motor vehicle drivers who violate provisions issued by the competent authority and which imply restrictions on mobility, will be sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of number 52 of article 241 of the Transit Regulations. The sanction will also carry the suspension for three (3) months of the driver’s license, and the retention and removal of the vehicle with a wrecker.

Article 241 of the Transit Regulations refers to the extensive list of fines that the transit authority can apply depending on the infraction committed by the driver.  According to one of my colleagues, the fine for the first time caught outside during the quarantine is between $100.00 – $500.00.  The second time and each time after that is $500.00 – $1,000.00. 

To sum it up, if you are caught on the road outside of your established quarantine just once, you could get a fine of $500, lose your license for 3 months and get your car impounded.

Just stay home.  It’s not worth it.

SOME INTERESTING TIDBITS:

• Humanitarian repatriation efforts continue through the Tocumen International airport. Some 147 US Citizens and 145 Canadians have been repatriated.  A total of 25 countries have benefited from the efforts at Panama’s main international airport through 15 humanitarian flights.
• Famed baseball player and Panama native, Mariano Rivera donates “thousands of boxes” of food to the people of his native town at Puerto Caimito, La Chorrera. The message from Rivera to his former neighbors, “Although I cannot be with you in this time, you are in my heart and in my prayers.”.
• For those of you in the area of Los Santos, local santeño authorities are going to crack down even harder to the entrance of their province.
• First patient recovered from the CoronaVirus ion Bocas del Toro is now home. After 17 days in recovery from the Raul Davila Mena Hospital, the subject whose name is not mentioned, has passed the established protocol of testing negative in both tests.  The specialist who took care of the subject escorted them personally home to give the family important first-hand information on how to continue to care for and how to take their followup medication.
• Yesterday, a man attempted to murder his former concubine and mother of his child by trapping her in his car and setting the car on fire. The incident took place in “Panama Oeste”.  Witnesses explained that he convinced her to enter the car to talk about matters relating to their child.  Once she was in the vehicle, he quickly exited, locked the car doors, poured gasoline over the car and lit it on fire.  Luckily, other neighbors were able to rescue the woman who is out of danger.  The man was arrested and the investigation has continued.
• Copa Airlines is destined to lose roughly 2 billion dollars in revenue in 2020. In the meantime, as flights are cancelled, Copa is battling with Labor Unions who have so far refused Copa’s offers and benefits designed to safeguard the company’s future stability.  The unions did state that they would send a counter offer on Tuesday.

STATUS UPDATE:

Panama has detected another 260 CoronaVirus cases for a total of 3,234.  MINSA stated that 2,817 patients are under home isolation, of which 573 are in hotels. 

There are 315 people hospitalized and 102 of them are in ICU.  There are now 79 people reported as having died from COVID19, but 23 have completely recovered. 

A total of 14,588 tests have been made and of those 11,194 turned out to be negative.

In the last 24 hours, there have been 6 new cases of full recoveries and 5 deaths.  I know it may be too soon to celebrate, but these are the types of numbers that we should be seeing where there are more recoveries than deaths per day.  I still believe that a substantial amount of recoveries vs deaths will be reported this week.

Stay safe…  Stay healthy…  And by all means STAY HOME!!…

Brett Mikkelson, CII, CPE

Director, B.M. Investigations, Inc. | M1 Consultants Inc

Mobile (+507) 6674-1183

www.bminvestigations.com

Proud Member of:  Council of International Investigators (President 2018-2019), World Association of Detectives (International Member), Victory Services Club (London), Examinadors de Fraude Autorizados (Panama), Alianza de Seguridad Empresarial (Panama)