“If coronavirus arrives on a large scale, the Colombian health system would be severely affected. Most Venezuelan migrants arriving in Colombia are from poor, working-class backgrounds and, like Castillo, arrive with little to no resources and serious medical conditions.Ĭolombian migration officers are seen wearing protective face masks at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, on the border with Venezuela, in Cucuta, Colombia Įven before the announcement of the closure, those who work along the border feared what the situation would look like in both Venezuela and Colombia. More than 4.8 million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, and over 1.7 million now reside in Colombia, according to the United Nations’s most recent figures. Basic medicine is hard to come by, and treatment for serious illnesses like cancer, diabetes and HIV is even scanter. Venezuela’s public health system has been crippled for years, owing to its failing economy. Venezuela slammed the decision as “an act of gross irresponsibility”. It also announced the closure of the border with Venezuela, prompting fears of what such measures may mean for those who rely on medicine, medical supplies and other goods from Colombia. The government of President Ivan Duque announced late Friday that non-nationals would be barred from entering the country from March 16 if they have been in Europe or Asia over the past two weeks. The cases sparked concern, not just in Venezuela, but also in Colombia where millions of Venezuelans have fled to in recent years.Ĭolombia has 22 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which has now been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organization. “There’s no medicine people literally die.”Ĭastillo’s fears deepened this week when officials announced that two people inside Venezuela had tested positive for the disease. So many will die,” he said, balancing on his crutches in the middle of the busy shopping street, recalling his hospital trauma. “If it (coronavirus) arrives in Venezuela, it’s going to be horrible. His injury became infected in hospital, and the necessary antibiotics were not available. The last time he saw a doctor was in 2018 when he injured his leg in a motorbike accident in his hometown of Maracay, a 40-minute drive from the Venezuelan capital Caracas. Bogota, Colombia – Cesar Castillo and his partner beg for help on the street of a wealthy Bogota, Colombia, neighbourhood with their eight-month-old son.Ĭastillo, 26, left Venezuela three months ago, in search of opportunities as his economically crippled homeland continues to suffer a lack of medical and food supplies.
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