As a result of the presence and growth in Colombia of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in conjunction with the Ministry of Labor issued Circular 18 of 2020, which is complementary to Circular 17 of 2020, with guidelines to employers in order to implement preventive and containment measures in the workplace.

Below are the main aspects to take into consideration according to the aforementioned circulars:

1. To minimize negative health effects:

• Promote adequate and permanent hand washing and disinfection of workstations.

• Provide clear and timely information on preventive and containment measures.

• Establish information channels for the prevention of COVID-19 and require the immediate report of any suspicion of symptoms or contact with a person diagnosed with the virus.

• Provide prevention training to migratory, health, and cleaning personnel.

• Immediately report any suspicious case to the Secretary of Health or Territorial Health Directorate in the corresponding jurisdiction.

2. Temporary and exceptional preventive measures:

• Order home office for (i) those employees who have arrived from any country with a high incidence of COVID-19 cases (e.i. China, Italy, Spain and France) or any other; (ii) have had contact with patients diagnosed with the virus; and/or (iii) present mild and moderate respiratory symptoms.

• Adopt flexible schedules in order to reduce the risk, due to exposure at peak hours or with a large influx of people in transportation systems. This also allows a lower concentration of employees in work place and improve better air circulation.

• Decrease the number of on-site meetings or large concentration of people in small spaces.

• Avoid crowded areas or places.

3. Responsibilities of employees and contractors

• Inform immediately, in case of respiratory symptoms (keep in mind that cough, fever and breathing difficulty are the main symptoms of COVID-19).

• Look out of your health and your coworkers, keeping a clean place and an adequate distance.

• Constantly to wash hands with soap and water and avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth.

• Avoid greeting each other with a kiss, hug or hand.

• Cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing, and throw away immediately the disposable tissue after use.

• Attend training and comply with preventive measures; avoiding this obligation is considered a serious misconduct for all legal purposes.

4. Obligations of the Occupational Risk Administrators (ARL).

• Provide clear and timely information regarding prevention and containment measures.

• Form a prevention team.

Moreover, through Resolution 380 of 2020, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection adopted preventive sanitary measures in the country also because of COVID-19.

By virtue of this Resolution, the government mainly ordered the adoption of the following measures:

• Domestic and foreigners who enter the country as of March 10, 2020 coming from Italy, France, Spain and China, must remain in mandatory 14-day quarantine (at home or temporary accommodation, single-handedly) and inform the authorities (both Immigration Authority -Migración Colombia and the corresponding  Secretary of Health) of the place where this measure will be carried out.

• Travelers from the above-mentioned countries, that have entered Colombia 14 days before the indicated date, must be monitored.

• Immigration Authority (Migración Colombia) must verify that travelers from these countries entering to Colombia have a health insurance, are affiliated to the Social Security System in Health, and/or have special or exceptional regimes.

Successive fines of up to 10,000 daily legal minimum salaries may apply at violation or non-observance of the aforementioned sanitary measures, as well as criminal investigations that could result in prison from 4 to 8 years.

The above-mentioned measures have been adopted temporarily, until May 30, 2020, and the withdrawal or extension will be subject to the disappearance of the main causes related to the virus.