In general terms, the measures adopted by all coincide in measures to keep the population at home most of the time, social distancing and the practice of hygiene, as well as the closure of non-essential businesses and the promotion of telecommuting.

In Panama, home confinement was already mandatory 51 days ago.

Except for medical personnel, security personnel and officials of key institutions, as well as essential activities workers, the rest of the people have to remain at home – or face arrest and fines.

The Panamanian regime only allows the one person to leave home for two hours maximum, and only certain days of the week.

Women are limited to three times a week.

The output of men has varied, since they have been allowed to go out for two or three days, depending on the criteria of the Ministry of Health, as according to them the male infection rate is higher. Health Minister Rosario Turner has said that if men behave well, we will let them out on Saturdays.

It was announced on Tuesday this week that perhaps this Saturday the men could recover their third day. But so far, the male population continues to live in uncertainty.

In addition, Panama is the only country in America that has declared the dry law in its entire territory. Although it was recently relaxed.

LATIN AMERICA

In all the countries, the closure of establishments that promote the congregation of people, entertainment venues, shopping centers and cinemas, as well as non-essential businesses, has been ordered.

But restrictions on personal mobility is on a different level.

In Costa Rica, Mexico and Argentina, the population has been "recommended" to stay at home, but its inhabitants can leave them, without fear of being detained or punished, as many times as they consider necessary.

In Colombia and Paraguay, for example, it is allowed to go to markets, pharmacies and banks the days and times that it is necessary.

Bogotá has allowed to walk pets, several times a day, for periods of 20 minutes each time. However, the use of the car was limited, to encourage people to walk.

Outdoor exercise is allowed in most of the countries.

In Bogotá, you can exercise daily from 5am to 9am, and the city is one of the many that have enabled large avenues for citizens to use, with enough space to maintain social distancing.

Paraguay, as of May 3, when the country entered the "smart quarantine" stage, confinement was made more flexible and the reopening of certain businesses subject to sanitary measures was allowed.

Ecuador and the Dominican Republic have issued curfews.

Citizens can leave during the day until the curfew starts, which in the Dominican Republic is from 5pm.

In Ecuador the curfew originally started at 6pm onwards, but was hardened to start from 2pm.

In both countries, residents are allowed to exercise outdoors until the curfew begins.

Chile was also governed by the curfew system. However, this Wednesday the country announced tightening of the quarantine, after an increase in infections, to impose a regime that will also be less restrictive than the Panamanian.

Starting tomorrow, the great metropolitan area of ​​Santiago will undergo absolute quarantine. The quarantine, however, will allow up to seven exit permits per week to go to pharmacies and supermarkets (for three hours), medical appointments, the exit of people with autism and disabilities, permits for state procedures and assistance to funerals, also allowing the pet walk.

Outside the capital, Chile recommends people to stay home.

THE HARDEST RESTRICTIONS

The only countries with restriction measures comparable to the Panamanian are El Salvador and Peru.

Salvadorans have been prohibited from leaving the house except to buy food, buy medicine or go to medical appointments, only on the days that they are allowed according to their personal identification number. There is no limitation.

In Peru, on the other hand, has been limited leaving house to one day a week to make basic purchases. But, determining who has already left and who has not, has become a headache almost impossible to control.

At some point it was arranged for women to go out Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and men Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but it turned out to be a disaster and they quickly repealed it. Children with autism are allowed to go out and pets are allowed to walk daily.

Neither El Salvador nor Peru have enacted a dry law.

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Not even New York, the most hit metropolis in the United States, which accounts for a third of all the infections in the country and 20,000 deaths, has declared a curfew or limited the departure of its inhabitants. Outdoor exercise has also not been prohibited. Its parks and public banks are kept open.

Houston has confirmed that although an order to stay home was issued, there has been no mandatory confinement. People have been able to leave their homes when they want, the hours and days they deem necessary, to do their shopping just as they are free to exercise outdoors. As of May 8, the parks, which were initially closed, have reopened.

Many things have changed. In Miami, Los Angeles or New York, as in most Latin American capitals, non-emergency surgical interventions have been suspended. Telemedicine, for example, has replaced face-to-face appointments. But in US, nobody has been prohibited from leaving their house.

Different states have different plans for economic reopening. However, everything is far from prohibiting the people from leaving their homes. It is something that would be legally unthinkable, emphasis is placed on hygiene and social distancing measures for those who are on the street.

Quarantine in Canada is very similar.

The quarantine in Montreal consists of staying at home. You can go to the supermarket any day of the week, keeping your distance. Masks are recommended, but not mandatory. All citizens can go for a walk in their neighborhood, and the parks remain open.

EASING OF THE RESTRICTIONS

President Laurentino Cortizo announced on March 12, in a message to the Nation, that a state of national emergency would be declared due to the presence of the virus in the country. Later the Executive ended up declaring a state of sanitary emergency.

Panama imposed the absolute quarantine of its population on March 25, limiting the daily output of its inhabitants to two hours each day, which depended on the last number of the identity card of its inhabitants, or that of the passport for foreigners.

A few days later, on April 1, he made the confinement even tighter, limiting departure to three days a week for women, and another three days for men.

However, the announcement made last Monday, May 11, referring to the gradual and phased return to the "new normal" did not contemplate the modification of the house confinement regime.

Until now the plan covers the gradual opening of businesses and activities.

Except for those workers who work in areas mentioned in Block 1, the vast majority of the population will continue to be confined to their homes.

The government relaxed, the law dried on Friday, May 8, allowing the purchase of a bottle of liquor or wine, or six beers per person.

EUROPE

The quarantine in Italy, the first country severely punished by the pandemic, always allowed people to leave their homes to go to pharmacies and markets, as many times as necessary.

Italians have been allowed to go out and exercise at all times.

Madrid, the city with the highest number of deaths in Europe, imposed for 48 days one of the strictest known confinements. Inhabitants could only go out to shop at the nearest markets and pharmacies.

The Spanish government recommended that the number of exits would be limited as much as possible, but citizens could do it every day. In fact, the police even required citizens to show the store's invoice to verify that it was indeed the closest to their home.

Spain has begun to relax its regime asymmetrically, liberalizing the communities least affected by phases. Madrid, which is still in Phase 0, allows, however, from May 2, that the people of Madrid go out to do daily sports, respecting certain time slots.

In London, the capital of another of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, its residents have been able to go out, as many times as necessary, to buy their food and medicine. Exercise outdoors, both individually and in the company of members who live in the same house, has been allowed at all times. Starting this week, the next stage of the opening has begun, in which it is expressly recommended to do outdoor sports, keeping the distance measurements.

ELDERLY

Several countries have taken special measures with the most vulnerable group of this pandemic, the elderly.

In Colombia, the departure of those over 70 has been prohibited. Special policies have been designed for them to meet their medical and nutritional needs.

In Chile, where more rigorous measures have just been announced, the absolute mandatory quarantine has been declared for those over 75 years of age.

CHILDREN

Children have been one of the groups hardest hit in these quarantines.

Almost all of the continent's schools and childcare centers have been closed.

In Panama, children were unable to leave their homes since the declaration of confinement, as has also happened in Ecuador, Paraguay and other countries.

This week, however, Minister Turner announced that minors could go out with their parents, as long as they did so within the two hours authorized to leave.

In Bogotá, children have authorization to go out starting this week. Only those older than six years old can go out in the company of an adult, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for a period of 30 minutes. They can either ride a bike, skate, skateboard, run or walk.

In Mexico, schools and kindergartens were closed, but kids could go outside. A similar measure exists in the United States.

In Spain, the children were confined during the 48 days that the most severe part of the quarantine lasted. Starting May 2, they have been allowed to go out every day, in the company of an adult, in a specific time frame.