Havana goes back into lockdown after record number of COVID-19 cases in Cuba
Havana went back into lockdown Thursday as Cuba experiences its worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, an uptick that officials are attributing to the arrival of international travelers.
The decision came after nearly a week of daily record-breaking new infection numbers, with over 1,500 reported since Monday, as well as seven deaths.
Schools shuttered their doors and a 7 p.m. curfew was ordered as part of the new effort to halt the contagion. The José Martí International Airport will remain open, but road access to the capital is restricted. Sporting, cultural events and other gatherings are prohibited, according to the local newspaper Tribuna de La Habana.
After closing its borders for almost eight months and keeping contagion rates low, the government decided to reopen in mid-November to attract tourists. Tourism is one of the primary sources of income for the Caribbean island, now in the middle of a severe economic crisis.
Since that date, cases have been on the rise.
According to official figures, 70% of the cases since Nov. 15, when airports reopened, have been linked to international travelers. In response, the government limited flights from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Last Sunday, Cuba began requiring that travelers present a negative PCR diagnostic test, taken within 72 hours of a flight. All travelers are tested again at the airport. Cubans visiting relatives or returning from a trip abroad must take a second test five days later. They cannot leave their accommodations until receiving a negative result and can face steep fines if caught breaking the rules.
The outbreak is concentrated predominantly in Cuba’s two largest cities, Havana and Santiago de Cuba, in the eastern part of the country, which is also under restrictive measures. Havana was under strict confinement in September.
Cuba, one of the most populous islands in the Caribbean, has reported some of that region’s highest total infection numbers, with 16,549 confirmed cases to date. Still, with 160 deaths, the mortality rate is much lower than in other Caribbean countries, such as the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Cuban figures are also among the lowest of other Latin American countries, but health officials remain concerned.
“If Cuba is compared with other countries with complicated charts, with much of the world, we see that we have acceptable indicators. However, if we look at Cuba’s program, its strategy to cope with the pandemic, the indicators are not really favorable,” said Dr. Francisco Durán, Cuba’s national director of Epidemiology, at a press conference last week.
On Wednesday, 550 confirmed virus cases were reported, the highest number since authorities began publishing data in March. The number of deaths has also increased, and among the seriously ill are five children, including a newborn.
The Cuban government is developing four vaccine candidates, two of them in clinical trials, and plans to jointly produce a vaccine with Iran. But authorities have not announced any plans to purchase vaccines developed abroad.
The quarantine in Havana has heightened tensions, as Cubans are simultaneously hit by shortages and rising prices as a result of a monetary reform. Images shared on social media show long lines to buy basic staples like bread.
Readers of the state media outlet Cubadebate complained about the lack of distancing in shopping lines, the government’s slowness in requiring a negative test from travelers, and what they consider to be lax measures to control the virus.
“The measures must be more severe and not assume that all people have the same degree of responsibility or perception of risk,” wrote a reader who identified herself as a retired worker. “If we don’t act tough, we won’t get out of this situation despite the government’s efforts.”
Follow Nora Gámez Torres on Twitter: @ngameztorres
