Colombia will expel curfew flouting partying foreigners

Foreigners who violate the restrictions on social gatherings imposed in Colombia to prevent the spread of the  coronavirus will be expelled from the country, the immigration authority warned on Monday.

“Foreigners caught at clandestine parties, violating isolation measures (…) will be expelled from the national territory immediately,” said Migración Colombia in a press release.

The measure was taken “after the detection of 65 foreigners at a clandestine party” in Bogotá early Sunday morning, the entity explained.

According to the police, “the majority” of those attending the event were “of Venezuelan nationality.”

“Migration Colombia is not going to allow any foreigner to affect health security,” emphasized Henry Corredor, director of the institution’s Andean region.

Colombia is home to just over 1.7 million Venezuelans, according to the immigration authority, which estimates that 55% of them would be “in irregular condition.” In total, five million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015 fleeing a deep economic crisis, according to the UN.

The country imposed a strict lockdown at the end of March 2020 after detecting the first case of coronavirus at the beginning of the month.

The government relaxed these measures since September 1, to bet on self-care and the widespread use of masks. However, mass events and the opening of discos are still prohibited.

During the first weeks of 2021, there was an increase in cases and deaths from covid-19 that put hospitals in the main Colombian cities on the brink of collapse, forcing several mayors to decree confinements and night curfews that affect 60% of the total population.

With almost two million infections, Colombia is the second Latin American country with the highest number of coronavirus cases behind Brazil.