Coronavirus in Colombia: some legal implications

The coronavirus pandemic COVID-19 began in the month of December 2019 in China, reporting a group of people with pneumonia of unknown cause**,**after its spread around the world, it arrives in Colombia at the beginning of March 2020. A particularity of the virus is the ease of transmission, being urgent and wise measures to reduce interactions between people as much as possible.

Some of its consequences in the legal sector.

The terms of proceedings have been suspended

The different judicial hearings involve a group of people including the judge, the clerk, the prosecutors, the attorneys, the lawyers, the assistants, the victims, the journalists, the experts, the technicians and the public in general.

Initially, proceedings in courts with supervisory functions and criminal courts with hearings of detained persons have been exempted, which would be conducted virtually. The adopted provision also does not include the terms of the tutela action.

Visits to penitentiaries and prisons have been totally restricted.

INPEC and the Ministry of Justice established actions to protect inmates, guards and prison administrators from the coronavirus infection.

1. Medical brigades to verify the health conditions of those entering the penitentiary centers, consisting of surveys and temperature checks.
2. Toiletries such as antibacterial gel and soap were purchased to ensure hand washing.
3. The availability of medicines such as analgesics, anti-inflammatories and antihistamines is guaranteed on a permanent basis.
4. Those persons at risk or with symptoms of contagion will be identified.

The JEP will suspend hearings and judicial terms throughout the country. This suspension does not apply to Habeas Corpus proceedings. All necessary measures to contain the infection and spread of CORONAVIRUS will also be adopted.

The rapid spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Colombia.

The situation directly harms the economy, but has repercussions of all kinds.

Situations in the paralysis of businesses; in commercial, labor and financial contracts; in the provision and payment of public services; expiration of terms and in insurance policies, will work to the limit in the scenario resulting from the coronavirus, in the short and medium term.

In situations of public calamity and force majeure, the exemption from liability would operate. This exoneration will only operate when the person, company or entity has exhausted the means within its reach to comply with its obligations.

Experts indicate that about 75% of the population will contract the disease. With such a high level of contagion, the objective is to delay the course of the epidemic to prevent the saturation of health services.

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