  In the absence of vaccines, the most widespread reaction to curb COVID-19
pandemic worldwide was the implementation of lockdowns or stay-at-home
policies. Despite the reported usefulness of such policies, their efficiency
was highly constrained by socioeconomic factors determining their feasibility
and their outcome in terms of mobility reduction and the subsequent limitation
of social activity. Here we investigate the impact of lockdown policies on the
mobility patterns of different socioeconomic classes in the three major cities
of Colombia during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. In global terms, we
find a consistent positive correlation between the reduction in mobility levels
and the socioeconomic stratum of the population in the three cities, implying
that those with lower incomes were less capable of adopting the aforementioned
policies. Our analysis also suggests a strong restructuring of the mobility
network of lowest socioeconomic strata during COVID-19 lockdown, which
increased their mixing while hampering their connections with wealthiest areas
due to a sharp reduction in long-distance trips.
