Carmen Díaz (not her real name for security reasons), was one of the many Venezuelan women who crossed the border to work in another country in order to send money back to her family in Barquisimeto.
She had a job in a shoe store in Cúcuta, until Colombian authorities declared a state quarantine in response to the Coronavirus. Given the uncertainty and the fact that she was now living on her savings, she decided to return to Venezuela, with her baby. She paid for the trip to San Antonio del Táchira, where she underwent a medical check-up and was told that she had some symptoms.
She bought an overpriced bus ticket to the state of Lara, a trip that, due to the number of toll stops, lasted 17 hours, 5 more than usual. At a checkpoint near Barquisimeto, officials told them that they had to go to a Detention Centre for tests and to spend a few days in isolation.
