Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Canel has announced on TV new measures to confront Covid-19 in the country.
He said that those who are concerned about the pandemic, and have suggested social isolation or total quarantine, should consider that while most Cubans can isolate themselves, another portion of the population cannot halt activities that are vital to the country.
The first measure announced by Díaz-Canel is the regulation of the country's ports of entry, with authorisation only for residents of Cuba, although there will be flexibility to provide for cooperation with other countries.
"In this way, we ensure the entry of Cubans who are currently abroad, the return of foreign visitors to their home countries, and commercial activity," he stated. "This will allow us to avoid new cases, and focus on detecting more cases within the country, and avoid further transmission.”
This 30-day measure started on Tuesday. It also stipulates that Cuban residents returning to the country will be quarantined for 14 days, to protect families on the island.
Díaz-Canel also called for more serious application of social distancing practices, in everyday life. He recommended that highly susceptible persons stay at home, avoiding close contact with others, as much as possible, and reducing the number of contacts and the duration of visits, which have the greatest impact on the possibility of transmission.
He reiterated the importance of working at home, tele-commuting, providing online classes and activities for students, and going out only to purchase food or medicine, or take care of an urgent matter.
Also announced were economic measures to protect the population's income, including restructuring the workweek, extending unemployment benefits and temporarily waiving the payment of taxes, among others.
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