Overwhelmed by the coronavirus, Cuba reimposed isolation

Amid a growing spiral of coronavirus infections in Cuba, which on Saturday recorded nearly a thousand new cases, authorities have ordered restrictions at airports and the compulsory entry of international travelers into centers of ‘isolation.

“No fuimos capaces de cumplir con los protocolos que se establecieron”, dijo el doctor Francisco Durán, director of Epidemiología de Cuba en una comparecencia televisiva. “Todo el mundo está al tanto de la afectación que ha tenido la entrada de viajeros internacionales a our country”.

Durán said that from February 6, “mandatory institutional isolation will be imposed on all international travelers” as happened in the second quarter of last year and that, along with other measures, he has obtained relative control over the progress of the pandemic.

For Cuban tourists and emigrants who reside permanently abroad, hotels will be set up and will have to be paid for by these people. Nationals returning or usually living on the island, as well as aid workers, will be transferred free of charge to special centers until the second negative test is applied, which is carried out on the fifth day of arrival.

Only foreign diplomats and businessmen will be exceptionally allowed to be isolated at home.

Durán reported on Saturday that the day before the highest number of infected in a day had been reported, 910 people, in addition to three deaths. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, there have been 25,674 people infected and 213 deaths. There are 5,100 active cases.

So far in January, 13,618 infections have been detected, four times the figure for December, which recorded 3,675 positives.

The dramatic situation began when, from November, the authorities relaxed the restrictive measures, notably with the opening of airports, although a protocol with tests for travelers was put in place, but which counts. given the numbers, seems to have been ineffective.

In parallel, the Institute of Civil Aeronautics reported on Saturday that there will be a limitation on commercial flights, to add to those that started this month.

The agency said that the reduction in flights from the United States, Mexico, Panama, Bahamas, will be added those from Jamaica and Colombia. In turn, flights with Nicaragua, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname remain totally suspended.

The only additional flights will be of a humanitarian nature to return stranded passengers abroad.

Cuba managed to bring the pandemic under control from March to November, even with entire cities free from contagion for more than 100 days, thanks to a door-to-door investigation, mandatory isolation and early treatment of cases.

Also, at that first moment, public transport was suspended – now in effect, but with limitations – and classes, which were reopened and canceled again.

This coronavirus outbreak comes at a time of severe crisis for Cuba, which last year saw an 11% drop in its gross domestic product and practically crippled its main industry, tourism, while the United States maintains its sanctions.