Bogotá has entered into a crucial period of the pandemic. Contagion and fatalities are progressively increasing. According to the city's epidemiological model, the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic will hit by mid-August. This demands a timely response and an intensification of the protection measures. That is why mayor Claudia López has announced the new course of action to mitigate the sanitary impact and the economic downturn caused by the crisis.
First, the city began applying targeted lockdowns which will take place in 3 different phases, grouping different territories. During this period, localities where the lockdown is taking place will enforce social distancing, commerce will be closed and circulation will be only allowed to buy groceries and medicines. The first lockdown began on the southern and eastern parts of the city and will last from July 13 to July 26. The second phase of targeted lockdown is planned from July 23 to August 6 in the southwestern territories of Bogotá. Finally, the northwestern neighbourhoods of the city will be under lockdown from July 31 to August 14. With this measure, the Mayor's office expects 2 million people will stay at home at any time of during July and August, while more than 4 million citizens continue to work, thus keeping the economy afloat.
These lockdowns will be supported by massive testing, prompt isolation for positive cases, an increase in mental health attention and the gradual expansion of ICU.
Moreover, to make the targeted lockdown effective, the local government will provide a guaranteed income to 550.000 vulnerable households. This income will be delivered through the platform Bogotá Solidaria en Casa (Spanish for solidarity at home) in money transactions or food vouchers for the unbanked. According to mayor López, this policy is expected to be the first step towards the consolidation of a basic income for the next 4 years.
Additionally, the city announced actions to promote economic reactivation. In the short run, the mayor´s office is encouraging small and mid-size enterprises to apply for wage subsidies and credits offered by the national government. Also, Bogotá is promoting the transition towards e-commerce and it is helping its local retailers to sell agricultural products online.
On the other hand, in the long run, the Mayor´s office will begin to build several infrastructure and development projects which will generate at least 200.000 new jobs by 2021. Furthermore, the city's budget has been redistributed to finance social welfare and a new system of care.
Until now, Bogotá maintains one of the lowest case fatality rates in comparison to other cities of the Americas (166 deaths per million inhabitants). Also, Culture Citizenship polls show that most of the population adopted protection measures into their daily habits. Although Bogotá’s early response to the pandemic had positive results, the next weeks will be decisive as the city enters into one of the harshest stages of the pandemic.
