Colombia will block entry by all non-residents from Monday to stop coronavirus

Colombia will restrict entry by all passengers who are not residents or citizens from Monday in a bid to control the outbreak of coronavirus, President Ivan Duque said on Sunday.

Colombian citizens and foreign residents who arrive from March 16 will be required to perform an obligatory 14-day period of self isolation, Duque said on Twitter. The Andean country reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 6, and its tally had risen to 34 cases by Sunday. On Friday the government said it would close its border with Venezuela following its declaration of a health emergency the day before, which suspended public gatherings of more than 500 people and blocked cruise ships from docking at its ports.

Some 153,864 people have been infected by the coronavirus across the world and 5,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Colombia has taken a series of measures to curb the spread of the disease. Cine Colombia, one of the largest cinema operators in the country, on Saturday said it would close all of its sites for the next 10 days, while football and events organizers have also suspended matches and concerts.