The country is in the midst of a spiking outbreak of the pandemic. In the last 39 days, Panama has registered more than a third (100,000 cases) of total infections and more than a quarter (1,326 cases) of total deaths.
The pandemic has caused some hospitals to stop receiving patients, while the authorities seek to enable and adapt different infrastructure to care for the sick.
The first 157 passengers, including 38 tourists, arrived on a flight from Miami, Florida. They were greeted with Panamanian flags and typical dances at Tocumen International Airport, 15 km northeast of Panama City.