The Colombian capital Bogota will impose the compulsory health pass for public events bringing together large crowds, the city's mayor, Claudia Lopez, announced on Friday.
Bogota, which has a population of nearly 8 million and has been the main focus of the pandemic in the country, has seen the number of deaths from Covid-19 drop to zero in recent days, and the number of daily infections drop considerably, the consequence of a mass vaccination campaign.
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80% of the capital's residents have already received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 62% are fully vaccinated, according to the latest official figures.
"We are going to carry out the reopening of the city, to return to normal life, to presence, to meet, to study, to work"
, declared Claudia Lopez during a public event. According to the center-left mayor, the reopening will take place in several phases, starting with the return to normal work in public and private companies on November 1.
From mid-November, concerts, sporting events, cinemas, theaters and other large gatherings will resume as before the pandemic, she announced. However, residents must present a vaccination certificate certifying at least one dose to take part in these events. In January 2022, classes will also resume in schools and universities. Claudia Lopez, who had ordered particularly severe measures when the Covid-19 arrived in the country, also indicated that the use of masks will be maintained and warned that those who do not want to be vaccinated, in particular people aged 20 to 40, will not be able to resume their social life.
On Wednesday, for the first time since 2020, Bogota did not record a single death from the disease.
Colombia, the fourth country in Latin America and the Caribbean most affected by the pandemic (with 2,499 deaths per million inhabitants), behind Peru, Brazil and Argentina, has seen a steady decline in cases and deaths since the end of July.
96% of its 50 million inhabitants have already received a dose of the vaccine, while 42% are fully vaccinated.