BOGOTA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 6,876 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Colombia over the past 24 hours, bringing the national count to 708,964, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the nationwide death toll rose by 216 to 22,734, it said.
Luis Fernando Suarez, governor of the northwestern department of Antioquia, said that the mayor of the town of Taraza had died from the disease.
Miguel Vergara, secretary of economic development for Atlantico, said that beaches in the towns of Santa Marta and Puerto Colombia would be reopened on Sept. 18 with strict bio-security measures.
President Ivan Duque has announced that the Selective Isolation, Distancing, and Individual Responsibility would come into force this month in a bid to reactivate the nation's economy. Enditem
