World Tour - Riots in Colombia, and a Croatian earthquake

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with Africa reporter Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Colombia prison unrest—We start today in South America.

AUDIO: [Woman yelling in Spanish] 

Dozens of family members gathered outside a prison in Bogota, Colombia on Sunday, hoping for news of their relatives. Inmates rioted over the weekend amid fears that COVID-19 could be spreading within the prison. They set fire to mattresses and attempted a mass breakout. At least 23 people died and 83 others were injured.

Inmates at 12 other prisons across the country also rioted, protesting unsanitary conditions and overcrowding. Colombia’s minister of justice denied those allegations. She also said there are no outbreaks of COVID-19 in any Colombian prison. The country is under lockdown as officials try to stop the spread of the disease.

Croatia earthquake—Next, we go to eastern Europe.

AUDIO: [Scraping]

Cleanup crews began scraping through rubble in Zagreb, Croatia after a strong earthquake hit the capital on Sunday. The quake killed one teenager and injured at least 27 others. The tremors toppled parts of buildings and snapped the spire of an iconic cathedral. It was the most powerful quake to strike the city in nearly 1-hundred-40 years.

Officials began evacuating hospitals while panicked residents rushed out of their homes. Originally, the prime minister warned residents not to return to their houses.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Croatian]

But officials soon reversed that policy. They told Croatians to stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19. Croatia has more than 300 cases of the disease.

Israelis protest government phone tracking—Next, we go to the Middle East.

AUDIO: [Cars honking, people yelling]

Hundreds of Israelis gathered Monday to protest the government’s new phone tracking policy. They waved black banners and Israeli flags outside parliament while passing cars honked.

The Israeli government recently began tracking individual smartphones in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Whenever someone tests positive for the disease, everyone in recent contact with that person gets a text alert with instructions to self-quarantine for 14 days.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Hebrew]

Protesters say the Israeli government is using the coronavirus to increase national security and violate individual privacy.

Drive in theaters—And finally, we end today in South Korea.

AUDIO: [Cars, parking attendant]

Although many traditional movie screens have gone dark, drive-in theaters have seen a steady flow of ticket sales. Amid fears of the coronavirus, movie-goers are still able to enjoy a variety of films from the comfort of their own cars.

AUDIO: [Speaking]

For some, it was their first time attending a drive-in theater. Many appreciated the opportunity to do something out of the house while still practicing social distancing.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

(AP Photo) A collapsed wall leaves an exposed home and crushed cars after an earthquake in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, March 22, 2020.

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