Small traders protest against Bogota lockdown

Dozens of traders and merchants demonstrated in the Colombian capital on Friday against a three-day lockdown ordered by the city's mayor.

Unemployment in Bogota has increased due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to figures from the National Administrative Department of Statistics, the unemployment rate reached 18.2% in 2020, while it was 10.9% in 2019.

Many citizens complained that small businesses have been hit the hardest.

"If you see the only ones that can open are the big business chains, the big malls are the only ones that can open, the small businessmen that practically live from day to day can't work", said Jose Beltran, a mall administrator.

More than 2.5 million infections have been reported in Colombia, along with around 66,000 deaths.