Feb 16, 2021
On a scale of the number of COVID-19 vaccination doses administered per 100 people within a given population, Israel came in first.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
Leaders from around the world continued to contact Israel to congratulate it on its successful campaign to vaccinate its population against COVID-19 and to seek advice on combatting the virus.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday with Colombian President Ivan Duque and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who congratulated him on the successful vaccination campaign in Israel.
Netanyahu and Duque discussed “advancing bilateral cooperation in the fight against the Coronavirus,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
Impoverished Venezuelan refugees wait for next steps to legal status in Colombia
Cody Weddle, Colombia/Venezuela Correspondent
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BOGOTA, Colombia – Estefania Gonzalez is among the undocumented Venezuelan refugees who are panhandling in the streets of Bogota during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gonzalez and Carlos Amayo said the crisis in Venezuela forced them to move to Colombia about two years ago. Immigration authorities estimate there are about 1.825 million Venezuelans living in the country and about 40% of them live in Bogota, Cucuta, Barranquilla, Medellin and Cali. Not all of them are documented.
Gonzalez said that without the proper documentation Venezuelan refugees can’t have access to public services. She said they haven’t been able to receive health care or education. On Monday, Colombian President Ivan Duque said his administration will be issuing 10-year residence permits.
Bogota, Colombia – Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers in Colombia will be granted protected status for up to 10 years, Colombian President Ivan Duque announced on Monday alongside Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Venezuelans who arrived in Colombia before January 31 will be allowed to remain in the country for a decade under the new rules. Holding protected resident status will also allow migrants to legally work and help them integrate into society.
During the meeting, Duque said Venezuelans have left their country “due to the dictatorship and poverty” and that “it hurts us to see these circumstances”.
The United Nations estimates approximately 5.4 million Venezuelans have fled their country amid a crippling economic crisis, as well as threats of violence, political instability and a lack of basic goods and services.
The move will allow migrants to work legally in Colombia, obtain 10-year residence permits and access social services including healthcare and COVID-19 vaccines.