In Panama, social distancing measures have been applied and vehicle repair shops are allowed to have only 10 employees, which makes the provision of most services unfeasible.

For the Association of Car Dealers (ADAP), the decision of the Panamanian authorities to approve the reopening of vehicle workshops is positive; however, the restrictions applied in the context of the covid-19 outbreak complicate their operation.

See “Trends: What Types of Vehicles are Gaining Market Share?”

According to the union, the service centers that are part of the group, in response to the announcement of reopening, are registering a considerable demand for technical and preventive service from vehicle owners at the national level.

You may be interested in “Trends: What kind of vehicles are gaining ground?”

Laestrella.com.pa reviews that Gustavo De Luca, president of ADAP, said that “… the established limit of 10 employees per service center/branch makes it unfeasible to provide most of the maintenance and mechanical services needed, so in our spirit of collaboration, we recommend that MICI and Minsa establish a scale that more accurately represents the physical and operational reality of service centers nationwide.”

Also see “Automotive business in Central America”

“… Professional centers by design are large areas (approximately 50 square meters per person) where there is no crowding of people due to safety measures and rules for prevention of accidents at work,” is one of the arguments put forward by ADAP, to review the measure.

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