Gravestone campaign aims to raise awareness of Covid-19 in Bogotá

Bogotá, Jan 28 (efe-epa).- A high number of Covid-19 deaths and infections has led the mayor of an area of Bogotá to start an education campaign using gravestones to raise awareness of the dangers of the virus.

The initiative called “Covid-19 kills, don’t risk your life” uses black tombstones inscribed with the names of more than 800 people from the town of Bosa, in the south of Bogotá, who have died in the pandemic.

“Nine months into the pandemic, living with it in our town, in our district, it is time for a different campaign, a campaign that prioritizes actions of citizen culture, self care in all the inhabitants of Bosa, a campaign that makes a real impact of conscience, of life, of valuing that sacrifice that we are making to take care of ourselves” the local mayor of Bosa, Lizeth González Vargas, told EFE.

Bosa entered a strict quarantine on Jan. 15 with a record of 2,285 active cases and 863 deaths from Covid-19.

“Our goal is to save lives and for that the strategy is to strengthen the pedagogy of self care every day through actions of citizen culture,” said González.

She added that the purpose of the local administration is not to impose economic sanctions or close commercial establishments.

Jessica, a woman who lives in the town, said she liked the project.

“I think the initiative is very good. I think it is great because it makes people aware of the care that people should take [to protect themselves] and even more for their family,” she said.

She added that the campaign helps to provide “a little more the perspective of the reality that we are living today” because although she has not lost any family member due to the virus, her neighbors have.

Bogotá continues to be the main focus of the epidemic in Colombia and has accumulated 602,584 cases of the 2,055,305 reported in the country, where 52,523 have died. EFE-EPA

ocm/tw