BOGOTA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Colombian government has decided to extend the selective quarantine phase for another month till the end of October in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, President Ivan Duque said on Monday evening.
"The decree that we issued in September of Selective Isolation, Distancing, and Individual Responsibility will be extended for the duration of October," Duque said in a televised statement.
He also urged people to avoid meeting in large groups to help control the spread of novel coronavirus.
After around five months of lockdown since March, the Andean country began a new phase featuring selective isolation, distancing, and individual responsibility in September in an attempt to reactivate its economy amid the pandemic.
Colombia now has the world's fifth-highest number of COVID-19 cases, with a caseload of 818,203 infections and 25,641 deaths, according to a running tally by the Johns Hopkins University. Enditem
