Walk back to home: Venezuelans stream in from Colombia due to Covid-19

In recent years Colombia has welcomed 1.8 million Venezuelans fleeing their country's economic and political collapse

Hundreds of Venezuelans who fled to neighboring Colombia during their country's economic crisis are now returning home, pushed by the deadly novel coronavirus and Colombia's own pandemic woes.

Colombian migration officials said Sunday that 600 people -- including 35 children and 167 women -- crossed the main border point at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge in the northeastern city of Cucuta, into Venezuela one day earlier.

Another group of 160 departed Bogota on their way back home on Sunday, officials said.

Although the border is officially closed as a measure taken to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus, Colombia has opened a