As we had anticipated last week, Copa Airlines joined the Panamanian government’s vaccination program for tourists called “Vacutur Panama”. The program will be effective October 1 and will offer the two-dose Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.
The “Vacutur Panama initiative” looks forward to reactivating tourism flow plus other projects Panama is carrying out which are key for this country whereas this industry contributes towards GDP with a 5%.
The vaccination will be totally free for passengers who comply with all the paramethers of the “Vacutur Panama” program, according to a source from the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP).
The ATP explained that travelers interested in getting vaccinated must apply only through participating hotels and travel agencies approved for the program. Applicants must be at least 30 years old and book at least 2 nights in one of those designated hotels.
Tourists will be able to choose between staying in Panama for the six weeks required to receive their second dose or returning at the time of their second appointment. The vaccination points will be located in shopping malls in the capital city.
It is estimated that this project will generate more than USD 126 million, of which USD 34 million will be directed to hotels, and will allow the reactivation of one of the sectors that were most among the most impacted by the pandemic.
“It is a commitment of the Panamanian Government to allocate 280,000 doses of AstraZeneca for economic reactivation. Through this program we hope to reactivate many of the jobs suspended due to the pandemic”, explained Iván Eskildsen, Minister of Tourism.
Panama has already immunized more than 50% of the population with two doses, and that according to the source they will reach 70% by the end of the month.
Considering that the United States will stop offering vaccines to foreigners and will require them to be vaccinated in order to enter the country, Panama’s initiative will alleviate those countries that do not have the vaccines required by the United States and the European Union.
Requirements to obtain vaccines in Panama
- In order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the international visitor must be at least 30 years old.
All international visitors will be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which requires two doses, at no cost for the visitor, as long as there are available supplies. - All travelers interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in Panama must arrange for vaccination and stay only through hotels and travel agencies approved to be part of this program.
- International visitors coming from or having transited through high-risk countries in the last 15 days and were not previously vaccinated must comply with a mandatory 3-day quarantine, the cost of which must be covered in full by the visitor. List of high-risk countries: United States, Cuba, Guatemala, Costa Rica, French Guyana, United Kingdom, Greece, Georgia, Estonia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, Israel, Malaysia and Mongolia, South Africa, Guinea Bissau, Tunisia, and Fiji.
- After the quarantine period, the visitor must be tested negative for COVID-19 in order to be released from quarantine and receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
- Visitors who test positive for COVID-19 at the end of the 3-day quarantine will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine, the cost of which must be fully covered by the visitor.
- To purchase the different tourist offers and access the vaccinations, please click on the following link: VACCINATION FOR TOURISTS.
Available flights to Panama effective October 2021
Tocumen International Airport is Panama’s main entry point and is known primarily for being the main base for Copa Airlines and for being its hub for convenient connections to other Latin American and Caribbean countries.
- Air Europa: Madrid (MAD).
- Air France: París/Charles de Gaulle (CDG).
- American Airlines: Miami (MIA).
- Avianca: Bogotá (BOG), San Salvador (SAL) and San José de Costa Rica (SJO).
- Conviasa: Caracas (CCS) and Maracaibo (MAR).
- ESTELAR: Caracas (CCS)
- Delta Air Lines: Atlanta (ATL) and Nueva York (JFK).
- IBERIA: Madrid (MAD).
- KLM: Amsterdam (AMS).
- LASER Airlines: Caracas (CCS).
- Spirit Airlines: Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
- Turkish Airlines: Istanbul (IST).
- Turpial Airlines: Valencia (VLN), Venezuela
- United Airlines: Houston (IAH) and Newark (EWR).
- Venezolana Rav S.A.: Caracas (CCS) and Maracaibo (MAR).
- Wingo: San José de Costa Rica (SJO), Bogotá (BOG), Santiago de Cali (CLO), Cartagena (CTG) and Medellín (MDE).
- Copa Airlines: Oranjestad (AUA), Nassau (NAS), Belice (BZE), Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI), Belo Horizonte (CNF), Brasilia (BSB), Porto Alegre (POA), Sao Paulo (GRU), Río de Janeiro (GIG), Toronto (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), Santiago (SCL), Barranquilla (BAQ), Bogotá (BOG), Bucaramanga (BGA), Cartagena (CTG), Medellín (MDE), Pereira, Santiago de Cali (CLO), La Habana (HAV), Willemstad (CUR), San José (SJO), Guayaquil (GYE), Quito (UIO), San Salvador (SAL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Orlando (MCO), San Francisco (SFO), Tampa (TPA),Washington (IAD), Ciudad de Guatemala (GUA), Georgetown (GEO), Tegucigalpa (TGA),San Pedro Sula (SAP), Kingston (KIN),Montego Bay (MBJ),Cancún (CUN), Guadalajara (GDL), Monterrey (MTY),Ciudad de México (MEX), Managua (MGA), Asunción (ASU), Chiclayo (CIX) y Lima (LIM), San Juan (SJU), Santo Domingo (SDQ), Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto España (POS), Montevideo (MVD),Caracas (CCS), Maracaibo (MAR) and Valencia (VLN).
