Cuba: Havana Begins Gradual Opening October 1st

With ten new positive cases of COVID-19 in Havana announced Wednesday, and a total of 282 active cases in Cuba's most populous province, the two Cuban officials presented the elimination of certain restrictive measures and the maintenance of others to the entire nation Wednesday. 

Standing out among the new measures for Havana is the resumption of public transportation at 80% capacity; the opening of beaches and public and private pools (at 30% capacity); the lifting of the general curfew from 7 PM to 5 AM; the initiation of the 2020-21 school year on November 2nd; and the permission for citizens to purchase goods outside of their municipality of residence.

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Other measures adopted include the free circulation of private vehicles, motorcycles, trucks, private ambulatory vendors, and goods to decentralized points of sale throughout Havana's municipalities. State vehicles will be required to transport passengers at bus stops to alleviate high concentrations. All commercial establishments, state and private, will reopen at 50% capacity, returning to their normal hours of operation.

To maintain the spread of the virus and guarantee the satisfactory results to date, bars, clubs, and public parties will remain prohibited, as will interprovincial transport to and from Havana, except for teachers returning to their provinces and those stuck either in or outside of Havana from before the restrictive measures began, among other exceptional cases requiring authorization. 

Continued obligatory measures in the city include the correct usage of face masks; physical distancing in public places, schools, and workplaces; required hand-washing, disinfection, and foot-baths upon entrance to all buildings; temperature control in public facilities and workplaces when possible; constructive actions to guarantee physical distancing in commercial and health centers; and the prohibition of entry to workplaces and schools of those individuals showing signs of respiratory symptoms, guaranteeing their immediate remission to healthcare facilities.

Martinez Blanco noted a general tendency towards epidemiological control in the capital, mentioning the closure of nine community transmission events in the past 10 days, a fewer number of critical, grave, and deceased patients in comparison to August, and the reduction of focal points in the city from 192 to 104 over the past 30 days.

The Cuban officials reminded that personal, collective, and institutional responsibility and vigilance remain essential in confronting and controlling the virus, and that not only will telework continue to be a priority for Havana's workplaces, but that those who knowingly violate the measures will continue to be severely fined for their actions.