CAMPOHERMOSO, Colombia (AP) – When customers enter his hardware store, Nelson Avila asks them to wear a mask and wash their hands. He sprays alcohol on the notes and coins they give him before putting them in the till.
Avila’s store is located in Campohermoso, a town of 3,000 inhabitants in Boyaca state in the mountains of central Colombia, where no cases of the coronavirus have been reported. According to the Ministry of Health, the province of Campohermoso – which consists of the city and surrounding farms and villages – is one of only two provinces in the country that are COVID-19-free. Colombia has more than 1,100 provinces.
“Those bills could carry the virus,” says Avila, 49, as he disinfects a wad of wrinkled Colombian pesos. “They go from hand to hand, so we have to be careful.”
Officials and local residents say the city has been able to keep the virus away thanks to the disciplined behavior of the residents and constant campaigns urging people to social distance and wear masks.
The city’s remote location, surrounded by mountains, far from the main roads, has also helped to keep the coronavirus free. It has only seven streets and six avenues laid out in a neat grid. It is nestled at the bottom of a green valley 3300 feet (about 1000 meters) above sea level.
“Campohermosos has a low population density and little contact with major cities,” said Jairo Mauricio Santoyo, Boyaca State’s health secretary.
Since Colombia, with a population of about 50 million people, has reported more than 2.3 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus, many consider the lack of infections here a minor miracle.
During the first decade of this century, Campohermoso was hit by clashes between paramilitary groups and left-wing rebels, says the city’s mayor, Jaime Rodríguez. The coffee growing area has been peaceful for over a decade, but rarely visited by outsiders.
Rodríguez says communication has been critical in keeping the pandemic away from Campohermoso. Reports about the virus and how to prevent it are broadcast three times a day through loudspeakers on the street lamps of the city.
The local radio station also broadcasts daily shows that talk about prevention. To make sure everyone gets the message, the mayor’s office has distributed 1,000 radios to farmers living in rural Campohermoso.
“The whole town has come together,” said Rodríguez. “The police, health center, church staff, and the mayor’s office are all going to the radio station to talk about the virus.”
Rodríguez said his message to townspeople was simple: “It’s up to every family to stop it.”
He has also tried to lead by example. The mayor says he started to feel ill during a recent visit to Bogota, where he tested positive for the virus. He did not return to Campohermoso until testing negative.
“We quarantined 60 families in the city for showing symptoms,” said Rodríguez. “But they have all been tested negative.”
Businesses have now opened in Campohermoso and only allow clients wearing masks. The city has not banned visitors from other parts of the country, but those arriving and wanting to stay have been asked to quarantine at a relative’s home and receive a daily call from the local nurse.
The only school in Campohermoso is running at half its normal capacity. The students are divided into shifts and go to school every other day.
And in the largely Roman Catholic town, the local priest has also become involved in prevention efforts.
“We pray to Saint Roch, who is our patron saint and protector of the sick,” said Father Camilo Monroy, who has also started talking on the radio about ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
The only other city in Colombia that is reported to be coronavirus-free is San Juanito, which is also located in a remote valley in the Andes Mountains.
Officials find the two cases striking because the virus has even surfaced in villages in the Amazon jungle that can only be reached by boat or small plane.
Campohermoso has vaccinated 80 people so far, most of them seniors over 80 years old.
Now the coronavirus-free province is waiting for more photos from Colombia’s central government.
Astrid Suarez reported from Bucaramanga, Colombia.