Havana: Cuba celebrates the end of the year parties today with a call to reinforce hygiene-sanitary measures against Covid-19 in the face of the most complex epidemiological scenario since the beginning of the pandemic, Prensa Latina publishes.
Scientists, specialists and authorities in the country insist on individual responsibility to stop the rebound in people positive for SARS-CoV-2, largely due to the number of imported cases.
The Ministry of Public Health reported 217 new infected with Covid-19 among 13,138 samples studied in the last 24 hours, record figures for one day since the first confirmed on the island nine months ago.
According to the official source, the country maintains 1,194 active cases and 718 suspects
According to the dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing at the University of Havana, Raúl Guinovart, the conditions exist for an upward trend to be maintained in the coming days due to the arrival of more visitors to the country.
In the expert’s opinion, it is necessary to assume a new normal when dealing with people arriving from other nations, respecting hygienic measures and the established quarantine.
In addition, Cuba will begin to require in January 2021 a negative PCR test for Covid-19 to travelers from abroad, carried out by a certified laboratory in the country of origin.
The indication published on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that this examination must be carried out within a period of 72 hours before arrival in Cuban territory.
Likewise, the rest of the border health protocols are maintained, among which the PCR tests and monitoring of 100 percent of international travelers stand out.
For its part, the Cuban Aviation Corporation S.A. strengthened the day before, the hygiene and sanitary measures and urged the population to reduce visits to air terminals.
The airport authorities requested “that only one person attend to receive passengers and that during the wait, outside the terminals, they maintain social distancing and, once at home, comply with the health measures.”
The west of the country presents the most critical situation with Havana, Artemisa and Mayabeque among the provinces with the highest number of cases in recent days.
Recently, President Miguel Díaz-Canel analyzed this complex scenario with experts from the Caribbean nation and received an update on the progress of the four vaccine candidates on the island (Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Mambisa and Abdala).
The head of state classified as “good news” the information offered in that meeting in which he assured that Sovereign 02 is the most advanced project.
In addition, Díaz-Canel indicated extending the use of the national antiviral Nasaferón to other vulnerable groups after the positive impact of its application on health personnel on the red line and in nursing homes.