Ecobreves – PANAMA: Pageant Under Shadow of SARS

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

PANAMA CITY, May 26 2003 (IPS) - – Panamanian authorities have set up a strict security apparatus to prevent SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) from entering the country with the numerous foreign visitors who will be arriving for the Miss Universe contest Jun. 3. Contestants and their assistants and families coming from Asia, where the SARS outbreak is centered, may only enter Panama if they have a certificate guaranteeing that they are free of the disease, Itza Barahona, epidemiology chief at the Health Ministry, told Tierramérica.

“The measure will allow us to detect individuals at risk. Furthermore, the delegations from some Asian countries will be housed at specific sites,” Barahona said.

More than 70 national pageant winners will turn Panama into a tourist destination next week. Participants and their assistants have promised to advise the Panamanian authorities of any SARS-like symptoms, which include high fever and respiratory problems.