Metro Area ‘Pico y Cedula’ Extends Through August 30; No More Weekend Lockdowns
Area Metropolitana de Valle de Aburrá (AMVA, the metro Medellin council of governments) announced last night (August 15) that all 10 municipalities in AMVA are switching to a two-digit “pico y cedula” rotation starting Tuesday, August 18, all the way through Sunday, August 30.
The “pico y cedula” regulation applies to Medellín, Bello, Envigado, Itagüi, Sabaneta, La Estrella, Caldas, Copacabana, Barbosa and Girardota, according to AMVA.
The new, more-liberal rotation — eliminating weekend lockdowns — comes as the metro area is starting to experience a plateau in Covid-19 cases and stabilization in demand for intensive care unit (ICU) beds, now at 75% of capacity in Medellin.
AMVA credits Covid-19 plateauing to the “4×3” regulatory scheme that over the past four three-day weekends mandated a near-total lockdown of most citizens (most workers and all shoppers) — paired with four days/week of shopping-and-errands privileges via the “pico y cedula” rotations.
Under the new scheme, people with cedulas ending in 0 or 1 can resume normal shopping-and-errands ventures starting August 18, with subsequent number rotations in following days (see chart, above).
Commenting on the new scheme, Medellín Mayor Daniel Quintero added that while AMVA is lifting the lockdowns over the coming two weekends, “citizens are expected to assume an attitude of responsibility, compliance with biosafety protocols and care for the elderly,” the latter group being the most vulnerable to Covid-19 mortality.
Caldas Mayor Mauricio Cano added that “our call is to maintain preventive isolation at home [that is, aside from pico-y-cedulas privileges], use the face mask, wash hands constantly and maintain social distancing.”
Mass gatherings and parties with family or friends “are prohibited, because these activities are the cause of further spread of the virus,” the AMVA bulletin adds.
Health Ministry Covid-19 Case Update
According to Colombia’s Health Ministry, Antioquia recorded another 1,751 new cases of Covid-19 on August 15 — 960 of which were in Medellin – along with 55 more deaths, 29 of which were in Medellin. Since Health Ministry tracking began six months ago, Antioquia has recorded 60,873 cases of Covid-19, with 48,570 recoveries so far and 1,121 deaths.
As of August 15, 863 Covid-19 patients are in hospitals in Antioquia, 420 of which are in ICUs, pushing the ICU occupation rate here to 81%.
Nationwide, Colombia now has recorded a cumulative total of 456,689 cases of Covid-19 since tracking began six months ago, with 274,420 recoveries and 14,810 deaths.
Bogota has the most cumulative cases (158,674) followed by Antioquia/Medellin (60,873); Atlantico (60,542); Cali/Valle del Cauca (36,847); Bolivar (21,593); Cundinamarca (14,572); Cordoba (12,231); Nariño (11,273); Magdalena (9,915); Santander (9,608); Sucre (8,443); Norte de Santander (6,500); Meta (5,014); Tolima (4,327) ; Choco (3,439) and Cauca (3,222).
