Health & Insurance.

Covid-19 Intensive Care Units, Ventilators Continue to Expand in Antioquia, Colombia

Medellin Herald July 1, 2020

Antioquia Acting Governor Luis Fernando Suárez announced June 30 that another 130 intensive care unit (ICU) beds will debut in Antioquia by July 11 to handle a potential future surge of critical Covid-19 victims. The latest expansion is part of a plan to have at least 909 ICU beds available

General News

EPM Promises to Give City of Medellin 55% of its Profits from 2020 to 2023

Medellin Herald June 30, 2020

Medellin-based multinational utilities giant EPM revealed in a June 29 filing with Colombia’s Superfinanciera oversight agency that it has pledged to give 55% of all its profits in 2020 through 2023 to the city of Medellin – its sole shareholder. According to the filing, 25% of profits will go directly to the city while another […]

General News

Medellin Overwhelmingly Complies with Covid-19 Protocols, but Irresponsible Individuals Threaten National Recovery

Medellin Herald June 25, 2020

Medellin and certain other parts of Colombia are now recognized nationally and internationally for outstanding efforts to minimize Covid-19 outbreaks while carefully reopening commercial and industrial sectors — saving millions of jobs and avoiding economic disaster. However, a relatively few irresponsible people are threatening to wreck the great sacrifices and

Infrastructure

One Year After Landslide, ‘Pacifico 1’ Highway Reopens 24 Hours Daily

Medellin Herald June 17, 2020

Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura, ANI) announced June 17 that the crucial “Pacifico 1” highway connecting Medellin’s southern suburbs to the Cauca River town of Bolombolo is now open 24 hours/day. A 300-meters-long section of the existing two-lane highway– as well as an under-construction section of what eventually will

Events

Update: Medellin’s 2020 ‘Silleteros’ Flower Parade Postponed to November 8

Medellin Herald June 15, 2020

Because of the Covid-19 crisis, the Medellin Mayor’s Office announced July 18 that it has decided to postpone the 63rd annual ‘Desfile de los Silleteros” flower parade to November 8, rather than in August. What’s more, all the usual “Feria de las Flores” events leading up to the parade — and the parade itself — […]

General News

Medellin’s Short- and Long-Term Municipal Bonds Win ‘Stable’ Ranking from Wall Street

Medellin Herald June 13, 2020

Wall Street bond rater Fitch Ratings announced June 12 that it affirmed the city of Medellin’s long-and short-term debt at relatively favorable “AAA (col)” and “F1 + (col)” ratings. “The outlook for the long-term rating is ‘stable,’” according to Fitch. “The affirmation of the ratings took into account the situation of economic stress as a […]

Health & Insurance.

350 Health Professionals Get Training on Medellin’s Low-Cost Covid-19 Respirator Technologies

Medellin Herald June 12, 2020

The Medellin Mayor’s Office announced June 11 that 350 health professionals are now being trained on how to use new, relatively low-cost respirators developed by the ‘InnspiraMED” initiative for Covid-19 victims. “This training takes place prior to the delivery of low-cost mechanical respirators developed by the InnspiraMED initiative, which is articulated by [Medellin

Infrastructure

EPM Outlines COP$4 Trillion Electric-Power Distribution Investments for 2020 to 2024

Medellin Herald June 11, 2020

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM on June 11 unveiled a COP$4 trillion (US$1.06 billion) capital investment program for its power distribution subsidiaries in six Colombian departments (states). The investments “seek to contribute to the improvement of service quality, minimizing the number of interruptions and their duration,” according to EPM. “For this,

General News

EPM Putting 1,000 Workers at Hidroituango Site in Voluntary Isolation over Covid-19 Fears

Medellin Herald June 9, 2020

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM announced June 8 that more than 1,000 construction workers at its US$5 billion, 2.4-gigawatt “Hidroituango” hydroelectric project in Antioquia will undergo staggered, voluntary isolation in June and July to avoid possible Covid-19 outbreaks. To date, EPM reports that it has detected 283 cases of Covid-19 infections among Hidroituango

General News

Deposed Antioquia Governor Gaviria: ‘I’m Innocent, Attorney General is Legally Mistaken’

Medellin Herald June 8, 2020

Deposed Antioquia Governor Aníbal Gaviria announced in a June 8 press conference that Colombia Attorney General Francisco Barbosa Delgado committed a grievous legal error in charging Gaviria with corruption over a 2005 highway contract — and likewise went way overboard in removing him from office and putting him under house arrest. Gaviria also revealed that […]