Bogotá will reintroduce the identity card restriction Pico y cédula based on the recommendation of the national government stated Mayor Claudia López. This measure, however, will not be accompanied by night curfews as announced by other local and departmental authorities, but a “4/3 scheme” for at least seven days starting April 6.
The “4/3 scheme” for Bogotá’s eight million residents entails regular business and commercial activity – with Pico y cédula – until Friday at midnight. On Saturday, Sunday, Monday (until 4:00 am Tuesday), the city will be placed under strict quarantine with total restrictions on mobility, including leaving the Colombian capital.
The district also announced that the sale of alcohol, except through home delivery, during the three-day lockdown is banned.
The results of a four-day working week and three-day quarantine will be evaluated next week when the scheme could either be eased or extended based on the epidemiological curve. Mayor López’s proposal has been presented to President Iván Duque for approval. On Monday, Bogotá registered an additional 1,137 cases of coronavirus of the day’s national total of 10,190.
The department of Antioquia registered the highest case count with 2,479 followed by Barranquilla with 1,594.
With the day’s new tally, Colombia has reached the ominous benchmark of 2.5 million cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health also confirmed an additional 199 deaths, raising the toll to 64,293.
The decision by Mayor López to enact generalized quarantines is based on data that shows the Rt rate of the virus is accelerating with infections from the “third wave” expected to peak towards the end of April.
