Panama reacts to first confirmed virus cases

The death of a school principal in the outskirts of Panama City and the infection of at least another teacher at the same school has raised questions about Panama's reaction to the new virus outbreak.

On Monday, Francisco Beckman school students attended as normal, but classes were later cancelled after the death of principal Norato González.

The announcement was perceived as a late measure by some of González's colleagues.

According to Jorge Nuñez, a teacher at the Francisco Beckman school, more than 4,000 students and more than 200 staff were put at risk.

Núñez said most of Francisco Beckman's teachers were not contacted by the authorities and expressed worry about how much time the virus outbreaks had been present in Panama if the first case was not González, who had not travelled recently.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Panama's Health Ministry has reported a total of 66 people were under observation after coming into contact with at least one of the country's eight confirmed cases.