BOGOTA (AFP) - Eight million inhabitants of Bogota will be put under strict lockdown from Saturday (April 10), mayor Claudia Lopez has said as the Colombian city battles a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

"This weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we are all going to stay at home... In all of Bogota, only strictly essential activities will be allowed," Ms Lopez said in a video posted on Twitter on Monday.

A third wave of Covid-19 has already started and whether they could get it under control depended on people's behaviour, the mayor warned in a statement, adding that the restrictions could be extended next week.

The measures are in addition to night curfews imposed the day before by the government that covers seven million people in the cities of Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Santa Marta, where the health system is overwhelmed by the virus.

Since the end of March, the Colombian authorities have imposed and tightened night-time restrictions in an effort to stop a new outbreak.

However, infections and deaths have continued to rise and there is concern about the effect of the Easter holidays, traditionally a popular time to travel in Colombia.

The South American country has so far administered at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine to 2.4 million people out of its 50 million inhabitants.

Colombia has the second-most cases in Latin America at more than 2.4 million, behind Brazil, and the third-most deaths (64,293), after its giant neighbour and Mexico.