RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Cuba‘s government has announced drastic measures in the fight against the novel coronavirus. As of Tuesday, March 24th, the country is closed for international visitors. Only Cuban citizens will be allowed to enter the country, but they will be quarantined for two weeks.
Public life on the island is also to be further curtailed in order to prevent new infections. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of people tested positive for the virus has increased to 40 (as of March 23rd).
On Sunday evening, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel made an appearance on the television show “Mesa Redonda” together with Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and several Ministers to announce far-reaching steps to fight the coronavirus.
Due to “global alerts” that have been studied, it is now time to “take new measures”, he said.
Last Wednesday the first cases of infection were reported in Cuba. A group of tourists from the Lombardy region in Italy was first affected. In the meantime, one of the tourists died from the consequences of the Covid-19 lung disease, and the number of those infected increased to 40.
Among them are Cubans, some of whom had recently returned home from Europe, as well as tourists. However, Díaz-Canel said: “The actual number of infected people is likely to be six to ten times higher, as many people carry the virus without realizing it”.
In order to prevent further spread of the disease, the government has taken the following measures: a ban on entry for all foreigners as of March 24th. Cuban citizens may continue to enter the country but must remain in quarantine for two weeks.
Cubans abroad may now extend the maximum length of stay without risking the loss of their citizenship. The approximately 60,000 foreign tourists still on the island are to be flown out in the coming days. Private accommodation providers will no longer be allowed to take on new guests, and instead, travelers will be accommodated in hotels where better health monitoring is possible, said Prime Minister Marrero.
Exceptions will only be granted for foreign specialists. According to Marrero, only planes that fly out with travelers are now landing. The border closure will initially be valid for 30 days.
Keeping a distance: Risk groups are required to remain at home and should reduce social and physical contact. “Something very difficult for the nature of Cubans, but essential, is the suppression of warm greetings. Neither kisses nor hugs, greetings at a distance until the epidemic is over,” Díaz-Canel told his compatriots.
Young people are urged to avoid contact with their grandparents. Everyone should only leave their homes when it is absolutely necessary, for instance, to go shopping. Public transport should be avoided during rush hours. In addition, land, rail, and air traffic between the provinces will be suspended, as will passenger transport in private vehicles.
There will be home offices for many employees. Public events are canceled. Classes will be suspended for three weeks, followed by one week of holidays, so schools will be closed for four weeks initially.
Nightclubs, bars, movie theaters, theaters, and camping sites are closed until further notice. Canteens and restaurants are to have only 50 percent of their seating, with a two-meter distance rule. In school and company canteens, meals will be served in shifts to minimize contact. Catering establishments are to switch to takeaway and delivery services.
Supermarkets will remain open and will have to dispense disinfectant to customers at the entrance, which, according to initial reports from local sources, seems to be working well.
The Ministry of Internal Trade, in particular, intends to strengthen the supply chains for basic foodstuffs. In some shopping areas, the number of private traders’ stands is to be reduced by half in order to avoid large gatherings of people.
The population is currently supplied with disinfectant at 440 sales points. 151 factories are manufacturing masks for respiratory protection.
Financial measures: As Cuba’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta E. Feitó Cabrera, announced, workers on sick leave will be paid their full salary for the first month, and 60 percent from the second month. Self-employed workers are exempt from taxes for the duration of the shutdown.
Catering establishments that continue to operate at reduced capacity will only have to pay half of taxes. Individuals and businesses can expect auxiliary loans.
For Cuba, the complete shutdown of tourism has tremendous economic consequences. Many tour operators have already canceled trips before the announcement. The crisis has come at an inopportune moment for the island: as a result of the repeated intensification of the US blockade last year, the socialist country has been pushed to the brink of recession.
With this drastic step, Cuba has a chance to curb the spread of the virus and avoid overloading its health system. So far, all cases have been imported, and no domestic transmission chain has yet been identified.
Worse consequences could possibly be prevented. Nationwide, 3,100 isolation beds are available for this purpose, and around 716 people are under observation.
To date, some 300 tests have been conducted. In all streets, family doctors, as well as representatives of the communities and mass organizations are encouraged to look out for people with symptoms in their surroundings. The Ministry of Health already issued instructions to this effect last week.
In its epidemiological measures, Cuba can draw on experience in dealing with diseases such as dengue, cholera, and zika, which have been fought with extensive disinfection campaigns in recent years.
According to the Ministry of Health, the production of 22 drugs approved for the treatment of the Covid-19 patients is guaranteed. Among them, “Recombinant Interferon alfa 2b (IFNrec)” is used in the People’s Republic of China. In the coming days, Cuba will also be receiving a substantial donation of medical equipment and devices from China.