Colombian main cities diverge their lockdown measures

While Colombia's capital of Bogota remained shuttered, the city of Medellin slowly began reopening shopping centres on Monday.

One of Bogota's main markets, Corabastos, was under strict hygiene measures after a spike in confirmed cases in a working class district.

The local government closed the Kennedy area, home to 1.5 million people, and deployed soldiers and police to divert traffic.

No one is allowed out except to seek food or medical care.

In turn, Medellin, the second largest city in the country, opened its shopping centres under some hygiene restrictions.

Medellin’s Mayor Daniel Quintero highlighted that the city registered no COVID-19 deaths in the prior 30 days. The national death toll, however, continues rising.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, Colombia has reported close to 29,000 COVID-19 cases with 963 deaths.

Data from the WHO’s Pan American Health Organization shows the region's seven-day rolling average of new cases continues rising, due in large part to Brazil, which accounts for more than half the total.