Colombia Extends Coronavirus Curfew Until April 27, For Elderly: May 30

Last night, Colombian President Ivan Duque announced that despite success in keeping Coronavirus infections under 1,600 in the country of 47 million, the government will extend the “national quarantine” until April 27. The initial term of the curfew was set to expire on April 13.

“The measures taken have been positive. Taking into account the behavior of the virus and analysis of public health information, we have made the decision to maintain mandatory preventive isolation until April 26, at 11:59pm. Our challenge is to continue saving lives,” the president tweeted.

Las medidas tomadas han sido positivas. Teniendo en cuenta el comportamiento del virus e información de salud pública analizada, hemos tomado la decisión de mantener el Aislamiento Preventivo Obligatorio hasta el 26 de abril a las 11:59 p.m. Nuestro reto es seguir salvando vidas.

— Iván Duque ?? (@IvanDuque) April 6, 2020

Additionally, the president said that the stay-at-home order for adults over 70 years old remains until May 30. Grade school students will not be under curfew but will continue home study until May 31.

“Older adults are going to stay in this Mandatory Preventive Isolation until May 30, as we also proposed. And the effort in our homes is, precisely, to protect those adults over 70 years of age in distancing, handling, and hygiene practices with them,”said the president.

“Our challenge as a country, as a society, is to be able to adapt”—President Ivan Duque

The president indicated that these decisions were made based on recommendations and analysis from the government’s team of scientists and experts and with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO).

In light of the coming rainy season over much of the country, Duque said that critical public works must continue for the protection of life and connectivity between municipalities, but the President stressed that such works must continue under the necessary safety protocols.

“It is an exercise in collective intelligence, and we have to continue to make sure that each and every one of us understands that this pandemic is not a matter of a few days or a few weeks or a month or two; This pandemic is present in the world and as long as a vaccine is not developed, it will be present,” he said.

“Adapting means continuing to protect life, protecting health and taking all the necessary protective measures. But also understand that in this exercise, we have to be increasingly intelligent, and that implies being collaborative, caring, human and seeking that society also succeeds,” concluded President Duque.