PANAMA CITY: Panama's health ministry said on Tuesday the government will from Jan. 14 and 15 gradually ease some of the restrictions it imposed on the country at the end of 2020 to contain a surge in new cases of the novel coronavirus.

Health Minister Luis Sucre said in a televised broadcast that in the provinces of Panama Oeste and Panama identity checks to go outdoors will be eliminated as of Thursday and a full quarantine will only be effective on weekends as of Friday.

In these provinces, men and will be assigned staggered schedules on different days for work and shopping, said Sucre.

The measures, which also include some easing of business restrictions, will vary in Panama's other provinces.

The Central American country has so far registered 281,353 cases of coronavirus and 4,500 deaths from the pandemic.