Colombia Extends Border Closure until Nov. 1

Venezuelan migrants at the border with Colombia, in April 2020.

HAVANA TIMES – Colombia will extend the closure of its land, sea and river frontiers by a month until November 1, the migration authority announced on Wednesday, reported dpa news.

The country wants to thus prevent the spread of the coronavirus across borders and to gain time to plan their orderly opening, said Juan Francisco Espinosa, head of the migration authority.

Colombia lifted a five-month quarantine in the beginning of September. Flights to domestic and some international destinations have restarted.

The border closure does not concern humanitarian emergencies, trade, cases of force majeure and returning foreigners, the migration authority said.

Colombia has confirmed more than 820,000 coronavirus infections, the fifth-highest number worldwide. Over 25,800 people have died.

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