Quarantine in 5 cities in Colombia due to an increase in cases of Coronavirus

(CNN Español) – And in Colombia, five of the most important cities have imposed restrictions again, due to the increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 virus, which were discovered in the past hours.

Authorities have reported that Bogota, Cali, Medellin, Barranquilla and Santa Marta will implement a general quarantine over the next few days. This is in order to limit the spread of the virus.

In Bogotá, for example, Mayor Claudia Lopez declared a red alert for 77% of bed occupancy in hospital intensive care units.

Lopez said the quarantine begins Thursday at midnight and will continue until Monday 4 am.

For his part, the President of Colombia, Evan Duque, said it is important to adhere to procedures and avoid crowds to combat the virus.

“We know that no one here can lower their guard,” the president added.

In Colombia, as of Thursday, more than 2.5 million positive cases of the COVID-19 virus and 67,199 deaths related to the disease had been confirmed since the start of the epidemic.

With information from Fernando Ramos.