'We Have to Be Careful:' Colombian Town Stays Virus-free
2021-03-28
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1Nelson Avila lives in a rare place in the world where there are no reported cases of the new coronavirus or COVID-19.
2When people enter his store, Avila asks them to wear a mask and wash their hands.
3He sprays alcohol over the money they give him before putting it away.
4Avila's shop is in Campohermoso.
5The town has 3,000 people in Boyaca state in the mountains of central Colombia.
6Colombia's Health Ministry says Campohermoso County is just one of two counties that do not have COVID-19.
7Colombia has more than 1,100 counties.
8"These bills can carry the virus" said Avila, as he cleans his money.
9"They go from hand to hand, so we have to be careful."
10Officials and locals say the town has been able to keep the virus away thanks to the behavior of the people who live there.
11There also are many campaigns urging people to social distance and wear masks.
12The town is far from big cities and that also has helped it stay free of the virus.
13It is surrounded by mountains and far from major roads.
14It has just seven streets.
15"Campohermoso has a low population density and little contact with big cities," said Jairo Mauricio Santoyo, the health secretary for Boyaca state.
16Colombia has a population of about 50 million people and has reported more than 2 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
17Some consider Campohermoso a small miracle.
18During the first 10 years of the 2000s, Campohermoso was affected by fighting between paramilitary groups and leftist rebels, said the town's mayor, Jaime Rodríguez.
19The coffee-growing area has been peaceful for the last 10 years, but outsiders rarely visit.
20Rodríguez said communication has been important in keeping the coronavirus problems away from Campohermoso.
21Messages about the virus and how to prevent it are broadcast three times a day on loud speakers in the town.
22The local radio station also broadcasts daily shows that talk about prevention.
23To make sure everyone gets the message, the mayor's office gave out 1,000 radios to farmers who live in Campohermoso's rural areas.
24"The whole town has come together" Rodríguez said.
25"The police, the health center, church personnel and the mayor's office all go on the radio station to talk about the virus."
26Rodríguez said his message to people in the town has been simple: "It's up to every family to stop it."
27He has also tried to lead by example.
28The mayor said he began to feel sick during a recent visit to Bogota, where tests showed he had the virus.
29He did not return to Campohermoso until more tests showed that he was free of the virus.
30"We've put 60 families in town in quarantine because they showed some symptoms," Rodríguez said.
31"But all of them have tested negative."
32Businesses are now open in Campohermoso.
33However, they only let in people wearing masks.
34The town has not banned visitors from other parts of the country,
35but those who arrive and wish to stay have been asked to quarantine in a relative's home.
36A nurse calls every day to check on the visitor.
37Campohermoso's only school is open, but two groups of students attend school every other day.
38The only other town in Colombia that is reportedly coronavirus-free is San Juanito, which is also surrounded by the Andes Mountains.
39Officials consider the two cases striking because the virus has even appeared in Amazon jungle villages that can only be reached by boat or small plane.
40Campohermoso has vaccinated 80 people so far, most of them older citizens over the age of 80.
41Now the coronavirus-free county is waiting for more vaccine from Colombia's central government.
42I'm Susan Shand.
1Nelson Avila lives in a rare place in the world where there are no reported cases of the new coronavirus or COVID-19. 2When people enter his store, Avila asks them to wear a mask and wash their hands. He sprays alcohol over the money they give him before putting it away. 3Avila's shop is in Campohermoso. The town has 3,000 people in Boyaca state in the mountains of central Colombia. 4Colombia's Health Ministry says Campohermoso County is just one of two counties that do not have COVID-19. Colombia has more than 1,100 counties. 5"These bills can carry the virus" said Avila, as he cleans his money. "They go from hand to hand, so we have to be careful." 6Officials and locals say the town has been able to keep the virus away thanks to the behavior of the people who live there. There also are many campaigns urging people to social distance and wear masks. 7The town is far from big cities and that also has helped it stay free of the virus. It is surrounded by mountains and far from major roads. It has just seven streets. 8"Campohermoso has a low population density and little contact with big cities," said Jairo Mauricio Santoyo, the health secretary for Boyaca state. 9Colombia has a population of about 50 million people and has reported more than 2 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Some consider Campohermoso a small miracle. 10During the first 10 years of the 2000s, Campohermoso was affected by fighting between paramilitary groups and leftist rebels, said the town's mayor, Jaime Rodríguez. The coffee-growing area has been peaceful for the last 10 years, but outsiders rarely visit. 11Rodríguez said communication has been important in keeping the coronavirus problems away from Campohermoso. Messages about the virus and how to prevent it are broadcast three times a day on loud speakers in the town. 12The local radio station also broadcasts daily shows that talk about prevention. To make sure everyone gets the message, the mayor's office gave out 1,000 radios to farmers who live in Campohermoso's rural areas. 13"The whole town has come together" Rodríguez said. "The police, the health center, church personnel and the mayor's office all go on the radio station to talk about the virus." 14Rodríguez said his message to people in the town has been simple: "It's up to every family to stop it." 15He has also tried to lead by example. The mayor said he began to feel sick during a recent visit to Bogota, where tests showed he had the virus. He did not return to Campohermoso until more tests showed that he was free of the virus. 16"We've put 60 families in town in quarantine because they showed some symptoms," Rodríguez said. "But all of them have tested negative." 17Businesses are now open in Campohermoso. However, they only let in people wearing masks. The town has not banned visitors from other parts of the country, but those who arrive and wish to stay have been asked to quarantine in a relative's home. A nurse calls every day to check on the visitor. 18Campohermoso's only school is open, but two groups of students attend school every other day. 19The only other town in Colombia that is reportedly coronavirus-free is San Juanito, which is also surrounded by the Andes Mountains. 20Officials consider the two cases striking because the virus has even appeared in Amazon jungle villages that can only be reached by boat or small plane. 21Campohermoso has vaccinated 80 people so far, most of them older citizens over the age of 80. 22Now the coronavirus-free county is waiting for more vaccine from Colombia's central government. 23I'm Susan Shand. 24The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 25________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27mask - n. a covering for the face, especially used to cover the nose and mouth to prevent the spread of disease 28density - adj. the amount of something in a defined area 29bill -n. paper money 30county -n. an area of a state or country this is larger than a city and has its own local government 31miracle - n. a wonderful event 32quarantine - n. a situation of being kept away from others to prevent the spread of disease 33symptom - n. a sign or effect that shows disease is present 34jungle - n. a thick forest in areas near the Equator of the Earth 35We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.