PANAMA

On June 10 the Council of Trade Ministers (COMIECO, in Spanish) and the Council of Health Ministers (COMISCA, in Spanish) of the Central American Integration System (SICA, in Spanish) published the latest COVID-19 Biosafety Guidelines for cargo transport in Central America. The measure is already in force.

This instrument coordinates procedures between SICA member states and complements the measures enacted by each country to curb the spread of the virus. Some of the measures included are:

• When entering and leaving company premises, cargo transport must comply with the International Protocols approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministries of Health of each country.
• Each transfer will be subject to a strict health protocol. When crossing a border, a sanitary screening process will be carried out, with temperature and symptoms checks at both loading and unloading points.
• The authorities will issue a certificate to allow the goods to continue transiting as long as the carriers have not been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• If any suspicious cases are detected, they will be sent to the nearest health center and the decision to continue or not with the route will be taken by the authorities.
• The responsibility of the private sector concerns ensuring preventive conduct measures are followed by carriers in all aspects of their lives.
• The document includes a training, communication and information strategy for officials and users.

The protocol was adopted after Costa Rica closed its land borders completely to prevent the virus spreading among its population, since several carriers had been infected following travel to other countries. This situation prompted negative reactions and several countries in the region have closed their borders as a result. The idea behind the new guidelines being pursued by the SICA is to prevent further obstacles to trade.