How does the removal of the mask work in open spaces in Colombia?

Colombians will no longer have to wear a face mask in municipalities in which vaccination coverage with complete schedules exceeds 70 percent of the population in each jurisdiction.

This was announced by the National Government headed by President Iván Duque, who assured that this measure is adopted based on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and is a step that, in addition to encouraging immunization in those who they have not done so, represents an advance for which the president finished off.

Although the pandemic has not ended and the social emergency continues –for now until February 28–, as of that date, the inhabitants of 451 municipalities throughout the country will be able to circulate without the use of protective masks, which in essence are have become the symbol of the pandemic.

The Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, stressed that this decision had been made two weeks ago, given the progression and projections of the pandemic, which, at the moment, present an almost vertical drop since the last wave, to the point of that the representative for Colombia of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Gina Tambini, said a few days ago that

some clarifications

The head of the health portfolio made it clear that although this decision came into force yesterday, it only involves open public spaces, in such a way that it does not extend to public transport, closed or crowded places and even indoor shows. , where, in addition to continuing to use the face mask, other measures such as distancing and the

Similarly, it was implied that there are no changes to the requirement of the vaccination card where it is required.

For her part, Dionne Cruz, president of the Colombian Association of Public Health, said that in no way should this be interpreted as the end of the pandemic, but rather it is a measure that should be evaluated, in addition to vaccination coverage, in light of of the circulation of the virus, based on the number of reported cases, the positivity of the tests, the level of hospitalizations and occupation of ICU beds.

“It is not recommended to remove the mask in older people, patients with comorbidities, people who serve the public or with high-exposure jobs, even if they work outdoors”Cruz insisted.

On the other hand, Carlos Álvarez, infectologist and national coordinator of studies on COVID-19 in Colombia, delegate of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that this is a consequence of another epidemiological reality because as some have interpreted it.

However, Álvarez adds that with vaccination, natural and hybrid immunity, the susceptibility to becoming infected is lower, especially if the levels of these aspects are in the majority, and it is possible to consider lifting some restrictions in said territories, without this means the end of this health contingency.

Carlos Eduardo Pérez, an infectologist at the National University, does not hesitate to qualify the government’s decision, in addition to seeing it as a necessary action to advance the pandemic process.

And it makes it clear and insists that face masks per se are not useful if other necessary biosafety recommendations, such as hand washing and distancing, are not put into practice, as is currently appreciated, to the point that, according to the expert, the masks became decorative and not protective elements, without neglecting that the masks also ended up compromising the environment by not being, for the most part, ; “It is one more step, but there is still too much to go before victory can be claimed in this process”reaffirms Perez.

A look at the data

While this is happening, 76.6 million vaccines against COVID-19 have been applied in Colombia; 35 million Colombians already have a first dose and 33.2 million already have complete schemes.

For its part, the pandemic shows a decline, registering 2,181 cases and 79 deaths yesterday, one of the lowest figures in recent weeks if one takes into account that yesterday’s deaths were only four.

It goes without saying that since March 6, 2020, the country has officially accumulated just over six million confirmed cases of covid-19 and 138,364 deaths with an affectation of 12.01 percent of the population, a cumulative lethality of 2 .28 percent, a decrease in cases in recent weeks of 7.86 percent and a cumulative positivity of the tests of 22 percent.

the territories

With the previous scenario, municipalities such as Yacuanquer in Nariño, which registers 223.4 percent of its population with complete vaccination coverage; Sanctuary in Antioquia (167.7 percent) and Villa Rica in Tolima (156.7 percent), which have complete schemes, can already breathe without a mask in open spaces if you take into account that they lead, according to the Ministry of Health, the sites with the highest proportion of their population immunized and even with reinforcements, which, in the case of Santuario, already exceeds 76 percent.

The municipalities of Suárez, Obando, El Cocuy, Salento and most of the capitals of the departments travel along the same path. In the case of Bogotá, 71.8 percent of the inhabitants of the capital have complete schemes; in Medellin they represent 74 percent; Barranquilla has 83.5 percent; Bucaramanga, with 77 percent; Cartagena, with 70.2 percent; while Santa Marta, Cali, Mocoa and Quibdó are close to reaching the goal.

Weather, Colombia/GDA