As the holiday season ends, authorities in Colombia are faced with new worries. There has been a sudden increase in the rate of coronavirus infections. Lockdowns have been restored in several cities to stem the spread of the virus.
In Medellin, the second-largest city, authorities announced that there would be a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily until next week.
In a similar development, night-time curfews have been adopted in Cali and some towns along the Caribbean coast where thousands of tourists are still on holidays.
There were about 8,000 new cases of coronavirus per day at the end of November. That number seems to have increased as people traveled for the holidays, visited family and friends. Some held mass gatherings and dance parties, despite Government warnings against such activities.
Measures Adopted to Stem the Spread
Most of the measures adopted involve behavioral changes in citizens to reduce contact to the barest minimum.
As the pandemic started, authorities in Colombia took measures and policies that have reduced the demand for motorized trips across cities. This has reduced congestion levels.
The country also banned air transport for passengers and only allowed air cargo for medical and essential supplies. These came with negative consequences for the airline industry.
ICU Wards Filled
In the last week, Colombia has been reporting above 11,000 new infections daily. In some cities, ICU wards are almost filled.
In Bogota, out of a total of 60 hospitals, 23 have reported that their ICU wards were filled. On this backdrop, officials stated on Tuesday that they were locking down part of the city to prevent hospitals from overflowing.
“In the following days, we would have up to 1.3 million people returning from vacation,” the city’s acting Mayor said. “That will increase pressure on our hospitals and increase interactions and possibility of transfer,” Gomez said.
Travelers to self-isolate
Districts affected by the lockdown include Usaquen, which officials expect to receive many people returning from the holidays. To this effect, officials in Bogota have urged incoming travelers to self-isolate for a week and work from home.
Nonetheless, the lockdown restrictions have not gone down well with many residents. They expressed frustration with the restoration of lockdowns. One of them is Johanna Parra, a housewife from Suba.
“I don’t agree with this,” she said. “Many other areas of the city are still open, so people will continue to go out and interact. Why should our case be different?”
Colombia has reported over 1.7 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic started, making it the second-highest country in terms of the number of Latin American infections.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization, it is second to Brazil, whose cases stand at 7.8 million, with 199,000 deaths.
Vaccination has not yet begun in Colombia. It is billed to start in February. To control the spread of the virus, some municipal governments have banned alcohol sales this weekend.
“To fight the second wave of the virus, we all have to cooperate,” Gomez said. “We want to start vaccination campaigns in February and have the economy running at full stream.”
Importance of a Resilient Logistics Sector
The logistics sector in Colombia has been the most resilient. The logistics sector is key to the survival of lives and livelihoods. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been massive shocks to supply routes.
However, this has led operators to focus on supply chain resilience and the adoption of new technology in the industry.
The logistics sector plays an important role in the manufacturing and distribution of essential products. To survive, food items, medical equipment, test kits, masks, and other materials need to be moved around.
Because a ventilator requires more than 700 parts from all over the world, it helps to emphasize supply chains into perspective.
