Health & Insurance.

Colombia Quarantine to Continue Past April 27 with Gradual Relaxations: Health Minister

Medellin Herald April 16, 2020

Colombia’s Health Minister Fernando Ruiz Gómez announced April 16 that the current national quarantine against Coronavirus infections will continue past the presumptive April 27 deadline expiration. However, many current restrictions gradually will be relaxed — but only when accompanied

Banking & Financial Services

Colombia Expands Small-Business Loan Programs Even While U.S. Programs Collapse

Medellin Herald April 16, 2020

It’s a tale of two countries: U.S. President Donald Trump announced April 15 that Coronavirus-crisis emergency loan funds to help U.S. businesses meet payroll are exhausted – just as 22 million more North Americans hit the unemployment lines — yet Colombia simultaneously expanded its loan programs by COP$16 trillion (US$4.06 billion). Colombia Treasury Minister

Infrastructure

Crucial ‘Magdalena 2’ Highway Project in Antioquia Restarts

Medellin Herald April 16, 2020

Colombia’s Transport Ministry and the Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI, the national infrastructure agency) jointly announced April 16 a new financing deal to restart construction on the 114-kilometers-long “Autopista Rio Magdalena 2” highway project in Antioquia. The COP$2.3 trillion (US$578 million) “fourth generation” (4G) highway project will connect northern

Health & Insurance.

Haceb, Auteco Launching Production of Coronavirus Ventilators: Medellin Mayor

Medellin Herald April 15, 2020

Medellin Mayor Daniel Quintero announced April 15 that local home-appliance manufacturing giant Haceb and local motorcycle assembler Auteco will launch manufacture and assembly of novel Coronavirus ventilator machines — starting Monday, April 20. Three prototypes have been developed in Medellin via a research and technology consortium organized by tech incubator Ruta

Colombian economy

IMF: Global GDP to Contract in 2020, Rebound in 2021; Colombia Doing Better than Most

Medellin Herald April 15, 2020

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 14 issued an updated forecast concluding that the Coronavirus crisis likely will slash 2020 global gross domestic product (“PIB” in Spanish initials) to a net-negative 3% — compared to 2.9% net-positive PIB growth in 2019. Colombia likewise probably will suffer a net-negative 2.4% PIB in 2020, IMF’s report […]

Other Norms

Antioquia’s Coffee Growers Win Health Ministry Approval to Resume Harvest

Medellin Herald April 15, 2020

The “Comite de Cafeteros de Antioquia” (CCA, the Antioquia coffee-growers association) announced April 14 that Colombia’s Health Ministry has approved a new biosafety protocol that will enable resumption of coffee harvesting — a crucial export commodity both for Antioquia and Colombia. “Between March and June, it is expected that the first-semester [first half of

Other Norms

Colombia’s Ban on International Flights to Continue Beyond April 27 Quarantine Deadline

Medellin Herald April 15, 2020

Colombia President Ivan Duque announced April 15 that while the current national Coronavirus quarantine is presumptively set to expire April 27, regular international passenger flights to and from Colombia nevertheless will continue to be banned. Even after April 27 when the current national quarantine ends, “international flights will remain closed for a longer period of

Economy & Finance

Coronavirus-Slammed Businesses Reaching Critical Point on Cash Liquidity: ANDI

Medellin Herald April 14, 2020

Colombia’s national industrial-commercial trade association ANDI on April 14 released results of a national member survey showing that Colombia’s business sector is close to hitting a critical wall on cash liquidity – because of the Coronavirus quarantine crisis. The survey of 172 companies that collectively generated COP$56.8 trillion (US$14.7 billion) in operating income

Infrastructure

Cemex Renews Cement/Concrete Operations; Antioquia Highway Projects to Restart

Medellin Herald April 14, 2020

Cemex Colombia revealed in an April 13 filing with Colombia’s Superfinanciera corporate oversight agency that it has just restarted all cement/concrete production and dispatch operations — thanks to certain Coronavirus quarantine-exemptions newly issued by the national government this month. “In particular, from April 13 to April 27, 2020, in accordance with the

General News

Medellin’s ‘Pico y Cedula’ Numbers Rotate April 13-19, Again for April 20-26

Medellin Herald April 13, 2020

The Medellin Mayor’s office announced last night (April 12) that the “pico y cedula” alternating-days individual permissions for grocery, medicines and banking trips are rotating today (April 13) through April 19, and then a new rotation starts again on April 20. As a result, people with cedula numbers ending in 7, 8 or 9 can […]