A balance of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) affirmed that such behavior was reversed in the fourth quarter of 2019 with the start of copper exports and saved a greater annual fall in GDP, an indicator that, at the beginning of 2019, the previous administration forecasted to be six percent.

The growth support was also the transit of ships through the Panama Canal, the movement of containers in the ports and air transport stressing the importance of passengers in transit through the Tocumen International Airport, which included the reactivation of the banana export.

The source reported that, in turn, fishing activity was reduced by a quarter, trade in the Colon Free Zone also fell and other items such as manufacturing and construction decreased.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report after a visit to Panama in February expressed an optimistic view that ‘the economy points to a recovery in 2020 and will continue being among the most dynamic in Latin America.’

Despite the certainty of the growth that specialists predict be 4.8 percent of GDP in 2020, the current epidemic of Covid.19 can stop it because both international trade and the passenger movement suggest that Panama will feel the disease impact on global economy.