Colombia to lift indoor face mask mandate within weeks

After a week in which Colombia registered record lows in per-day infections and deaths from coronavirus, the country’s Minister of Health, Fernando Ruíz confirmed in an interview with El Tiempo that the indoor face mask mandate could be lifted “within weeks.” The declaration comes as Colombia registered one death from COVID-19 on Wednesday, and has averaged below 10 during the last fortnight.

The lifting of the obligatory wearing of face masks indoors ends the last coronavirus restriction since the outbreak of the pandemic on March 6, 2020. Minister Ruíz also confirmed that as of May, the daily COVID-19 bulletin will be issued weekly. The country’s total case count stands at 6,091.094, and 139,771 fatalities. Active cases have leved-off near 3,000.

The end of the face mask-wearing indoors comes a month after the Ministry of Health lifted the restriction for persons outdoors, and despite confirmation by the National Institute of Health, that the Omicron subvariant is circulating in the country.

Persons between the age of 50 and 60 will also be eligible for a second booster dose as of next month. Ruíz highlighted that despite easing of self-protection measures, Colombians continue to show “common sense” by wearing the ubiquitous face mask.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES