Public and municipal offices Panama and San Miguelito (north) will be closed from January 23 to 25, to reduce traffic on the streets during the celebration of the World Youth Day (WYD).

A  decree, signed by President, Juan Carlos Varela, said the closure is intended to provide an atmosphere of tranquility to pilgrims who gather on the principal avenues and streets of, where the main activities of the ecclesiastical meeting will take place.

The measure exempts the offices of the postal service, the Fire Department of Panama (CBP), the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC), the National Immigration Service, the Passport Authority of Panama, the Transit and  Authority (ATTT). the Panama Metro.

The care centers of the Ministry of Health, the Social Security Fund, the Gorgas Health Institute, the Urban and Domiciliary Cleaning Authority of Panama, the Water Authority (IDAAN), and the Panamanian Food Security Authority. will work on a regular schedule.

The regulation will take effect on Wednesday, January 23 from 12:00 local time (17:00 GMT), the day that Pope Francis will arrive in Panama.

The Government indicated that to guarantee the success of the day, the State provides support in matters of safety, health, migration, transportation, and logistics. The closure of the entities is aimed at reducing vehicle traffic during WYD and is part of the urban mobility plan that will be executed for the religious event.

The visit of Pope Francis has generated interest not only in Panama but throughout Central America, since the only pontiff who has traveled to this region was John Paul II, in 1983 and 1996.

The pontiff's agenda in Panama, a largely Catholic country, includes masses and meetings with the Panamanian government and the Central American bishopric, and visits to a juvenile prison and a social shelter run by the Church.

Ex-president Ricardo Martinelli, detained in El Renacer prison, reportedly wrote to the Pope asking for a visit so he could see how badly a “political prisoner” was treated.