Medellín Starts to Lift the Quarantine: Enters Smart Isolation Phase

Starting on June 1, Medellín starts to lift the quarantine and enters a smart isolation phase with more places open and more ability to leave the home.

During the smart isolation phase, it is responsibility of citizens to maintain social distancing, use face masks and make sure hygiene measures are used.

Starting on June 1, more places can start to open in Medellín including shopping malls and the stores inside malls, barber shops and hair salons.

Medellín is starting to lift the quarantine on June 1 by permitting you to leave the home more often, which includes a relaxation of the strict Pico y Cedula and permits leaving the home any day of the week for exercise.

There is still a nationwide quarantine in Colombia but Medellín is starting to lift some of the restrictions it had in place and will enter a smart isolation phase.

In addition, wearing a face mask is now mandatory in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. If you are caught without a face make you can be fined 936,000 pesos and can be banned from using the Medellín metro for 15 days.

Pico y Cedula is Relaxed – Permits Going out Every Other Day

The Pico y Cedula restriction applies for going to grocery shops, small tiendas, pharmacies and can also include banking and notary services. These restrictions started in the Aburrá Valley on March 25 during the national Colombia quarantine.

Starting on June 1, there will be a new Pico y Cedula for the entire Aburrá Valley including all 10 municipalities in the valley including Medellín, Envigado, Sabaneta, Itagüí, Bello, La Estrella, Caldas, Barbosa, Girardota and Copacabana.

Pico y Cedula Starting on June 1, 2020

The new Pico y Cedula schedule started on June 1 in the Aburrá Valley permits you to go out every other day. If your ID ends with an odd number you can go out on even days of the week. And if your ID ends with an even number you can go out on odd days of the week.

Pico y Cedula Schedule Starting on June 1:

• Monday, June 1: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8
• Tuesday, June 2: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
• Wednesday, June 3: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8
• Thursday, June 4:1, 3, 5, 7, 9
• Friday, June 5:0, 2, 4, 6, 8
• Saturday, June 6: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
• Sunday, June 7: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8

It should be clarified that although the Mayor of Bello announced in the news that Bello would eliminate Pico y Cedula, the mayor changed his mind after a metropolitan meeting of the mayors in the Aburrá Valley held yesterday. So, all 10 municipalities in the Aburrá Valley have the same Pico y Cedula schedule.

Also Pico y Cedula in the Aburrá Valley was extended to August 2, which is covered in our article about Pico y Cedula.

Can Leave the Home to Exercise Any Day

Starting on June 1, open-air time outside the home for exercise is permitted for the following groups:

• Children from 2 to 5 years old are permitted outdoor activities three times a week for 30 minutes a day with a responsible adult.
• Between 6 and 17 years old are permitted outdoor activities three times a week for one hour a day with a responsible adult.
• Adults between 18 and 69 years old will be able to do outdoor activities every day for two hours.

For those over 70 years old and people with underlying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cancer, the open-air time is limited to three times a week, 30 minutes a day.

Medellín Mayor Daniel Quintero said that each citizen will be able to choose what time they go out for exercise and what time they go out with children, as long as the respect the above rules.

So, in Medellín there are no day or hour restrictions for leaving the home for exercise. The only restrictions are by age and for how much time and for how long.

However, in Envigado the rules are different as follows:

• Children from 2 to 5 years old may got out three times a week for 30 minutes a day only on Monday to Wednesday from 6 pm to 6:30 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 9:40 am.
• Between 6 and 17 years old are permitted outdoor activities three times a week for one hour a day with a responsible adult only on Tuesday and Thursday from 6 pm to 7 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 11 am.
• Adults between 18 and 69 years old will be able to do outdoor activities every day for two hours only on Monday to Friday from 7:30 pm to 10 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 7 am to 10 am.
• Adults over 70 years old are limited to three times a week, 30 minutes per day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am to 9:30 am.

The huge Viva Envigado Mall in Envigado is reopening

Shopping Malls in Medellín Reopen

The pilot of opening three shopping malls in Medellín (Oviedo, Gran Plaza and Mall La Frontera) with most of the shops open was completed successfully.

According to Medellín Mayor Quintero, now all shopping malls in Medellín that have approved biosafety protocols and have been visited by the Ministry of Health will be permitted to open. And if they have not been visited, they should request this at the mayor’s office.

We have confirmed that the huge Viva Envidado mall in Envigado and the Viva Laureles malls are reopening. And other malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley opened starting on June 1 with thousands of shops reopening.

Many of the malls in Medellín have remained partially open during the nationwide quarantine in Colombia, as grocery stores, pharmacies and banks are permitted to be open during the quarantine. But now the malls will be able to fully open with most of the stores open.

Shopping Malls in Medellín

Paisas love to shop and Medellín and the Aburrá Valley has a huge number of centro comercials (shopping centers or malls). We previously looked at the 14 best malls in Medellín.

Regarding other retail shops in Medellín not located in malls, the Medellín Mayor said that a pilot will be conducted to open more businesses and they expect to permit opening all types of retail shops in Medellín on Monday, June 8.

However, I have started to see some other small local retail tiendas (shops) start to open in Sabaneta and also in Laureles.

Restaurants can be open only if they have domicilio (delivery) or take-out services. And bars, discos, clubs and similar businesses will remain closed.

Small barbershop in Sabaneta

Barber Shops and Hair Salons Reopen

Barber shops and hair salons can also start to open on June 1. In Medellín, the mayor said that for now those that are in in shopping malls are authorized to open during the next week (June 1 to 7).

However, there reportedly will be a pilot in Medellín with some stand-alone barber shops and hair salons ensure they have biosafety protocols. Medellín’s mayor said “We hope that in a week (after June 8) we can reopen them all.”

However, I have seen some stand-alone barber shops already open in Sabaneta and confirmed from Medellin Guru readers that some stand-alone barber shops are already open in Larureles.

A new apartment project in Sabaneta, construction could start to return to work at the end of April

Medellín Actually Started to Lift the Quarantine in Late April

Medellín and Colombia actually started to lift the quarantine in Colombia on April 27 for some sectors of the economy including manufacturing and construction.

Starting on Monday, April 27, the quarantine was lifted for several sectors, which reportedly enabled over 6 million people in Colombia to over time start to return to work.

The sectors that returned to work starting on April 27 included construction and infrastructure, manufacturing; textiles, clothing and leather; chemical substances; wood, paper and cardboard sectors; and metals and electronic sectors.

Also, starting on May 11, several additional sectors will be permitted to return to work:

1. Manufacture of furniture, mattresses and bed bases.
2. Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers.
3. Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products.
4. Manufacture of machinery and equipment.
5. Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.
6. Maintenance and repair of technology and computer equipment.
7. Wholesale and retail trade of vehicles (including parts, pieces and accessories).
8. Wholesale trade of furniture and household goods.
9. Wholesale trade of machinery and equipment.
10. Retail trade of pet products.
11. Retail trade of construction materials, hardware, locksmiths and glass and paint products in specialized stores.
12. Retail trade of fuels, lubricants, additives and cleaning products for motor vehicles in specialized establishments.
13. Retail trade of books, newspapers, materials, stationery and desks in specialized stores.
14. Laundry services at home.
15. Activities related to the operation of establishments providing vehicle maintenance services, appliances, boats, agricultural or fishing machinery, according to the different modes of transport, as well as the establishments in which the supply and / or installation of vehicles spare parts.
16. Automotive diagnostic centers.

Medellin Guru’s Coronavirus Series

Medellin Guru has a series of articles about the coronavirus pandemic and the impacts in Colombia: Also, these articles are being kept up-to-date, as this is a fast-moving topic:

• Humanitarian Flights from Colombia to the U.S. and Other Countries
• Medellín Starts Free COVID-19 Tests on the Medellín Metro
• New COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Medellín to Contain the Pandemic
• Penalties for Violating the Quarantine in Medellín are Stiff
• COVID-19 Orange Alert in Bogotá: New Lockdowns in Bogotá
• Medellín Starts to Lift the Quarantine: Enters Smart Isolation Phase
• Colombia Started to Lift the Quarantine – What Does this Mean?
• Coronavirus: When Will the Quarantine Be Lifted in Colombia?
• Colombia Starts to Lift the Quarantine in COVID-19 Free Areas
• Colombia Quarantine: Nationwide Quarantine Extended to September 1
• Coronavirus in Colombia: Myth vs Reality – Current Status
• Coronavirus Hospitalization in Colombia: Myth vs Reality
• Are Medellín and Antioquia Winning the Coronavirus Battle?
• 20 Cities with a Major Increase in Coronavirus Cases in Colombia
• Colombia Coronavirus Death Rate: What are the Chances of Dying?
• Coronavirus: When Will Things Return to Normal in Colombia?
• COVID-19 Testing in Colombia: Realty About Coronavirus Testing
• Life as an Expat: During Medellín’s Coronavirus Quarantine
• Colombian Visa Process Changes: Due to Quarantine and Coronavirus
• Medellín Coronavirus Closures – What is Closed in Medellín?
• Pico y Cedula: A Restriction for Grocery Shopping in the Aburrá Valley During the Quarantine
• Pico y Cedula in Colombia: Which is Strictest Out of 5 Largest Cities?
• Medellín Quarantine Starts on March 20 for Four Days

The Bottom Line: Medellín Starts to Lift the Quarantine – Enters Smart Isolation Phase

By starting to lift the quarantine and entering a smart isolation phase, Medellín is starting to return to normal.

Also, Medellín is beginning to head down the path towards more of a mitigation strategy that protects those most at risk from coronavirus (the elderly and those with other underlying health conditions) while starting to free up the economy.

The challenge facing Medellín and Colombia is how to open things back up in the economy without increasing the rate of coronavirus infections.

We recommend watching carefully the number of new cases reported in Colombia daily. Each day we update our popular article about coronavirus in Colombia with the current coronavirus statistics.

Also, watch the COVID-19 testing numbers in Colombia. We update our popular article about COVID-19 testing in Colombia daily. If COVID-19 testing numbers continue to increase, this is a very good thing, as this will help identify more of those who are infected in Colombia.

Ideally, testing could be used to check not only everyone who has symptoms but also their close contacts, so they could be identified as infected, isolated or quarantined as well.

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Editors note: updated on May 31, 2020 to add rules for leave the home for exercise for Envigado.