April 10th, 2020
Keeping the Country Safe | Helping People and Families | Supporting Businesses and Rural Workers
Join President Duque on Tuesday (4/14) for Online Event
· On Tuesday, April 14th at 4PM ET, President Iván Duque will participate in a live, online Atlantic Council event: “Colombia’s COVID-19 response and strategies moving forward.” To participate, register here.
Latest Measures to Fight COVID-19 in Colombia
· Extension of the nationwide mandatory self-quarantine until April 27th, with exceptions only for medical personnel, security forces and workers at pharmacies and supermarket.
· Public officials and contractors will contribute 10 percent of their monthly salaries, if they make between USD $2600 and $3900, and 15 percent, if they make more than USD $3900, for four months as a "Solidarity Contribution" to support independent workers and the middle class.
· Delivery of 1 million parcels of groceries through the new “Colombia está contigo” (“Colombia Is With You”) initiative.
· Establishment of the #AyudarNosHaceBien (Helping Is Good for Us) initiative, to unite Colombians with friends in the USA and around the world in the effort to help the most vulnerable during this challenging time, which has raised nearly USD $2.7 million and 160,000 donations of grocery parcels for families in need.
· Compulsory use of masks in public transport and crowded spaces, as well as for people with respiratory problems and those over 70 years of age.
· Payment of "Solidarity Income" by the National Government to families affected by COVID-19 but that are not benefiting from any other social program.
· Delivering of academic activities and school meals to nearly 800,000 students under the Bogotá Ministry of Education.
· Government financing of the payrolls of small- and medium-sized businesses for three months.
· Suspension of the pension contribution requirement for three months so that employers can redirect those funds to more urgent needs.
· Creation of app to provide the latest coronavirus updates.
Join Ambassador Santos on Saturday (4/11) for the First in “The New Abnormal” Webinar Series
· Colombian Ambassador to the USA Francisco Santos will kick off an online series this Saturday, April 11th at 6PM COT | 7PM ET to talk about about how COVID-19 has irreversibly changed the world – the “new abnormal.”
Click here to learn more and register.
· The first discussion will focus on virtual education. “…[T]otal virtual mass education is not only possible but absolutely necessary,” writes Ambassador Santos in new opinion column published in Semana.
· In the Semana op-ed, Santos lays out his view of new realities that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic on issues beyond education – from employment and journalism to international trade and the friendly greeting. He explains how Colombia can adapt to position itself for success in the years ahead. Read more in Semana (Spanish.)
Please Donate to the ‘Helping Is Good for Us’ Initiative
· Please help add to the nearly USD $2.7 million raised and 160,000 grocery parcels donated so far for families in need by visiting:
Fundación Solidaridad por Colombia (monetary donations)
iNNpulsa Colombia (in-kind – non-monetary – contributions)
“‘We Need to Solve This’: Colombia’s Amazing Race to Build a $1,000 Ventilator.”
· Vanity Fair (4/6) chronicles a spontaneous alliance of techies and health professionals in Medellín who are making promising progress on an urgent medical problem as COVID-19 bears down. Read here
Download Colombia’s Coronavirus App and Stay Up-to-Date
