Help us keep OnCuba alive The Itolizumab monoclonal antibody, a creation of the Cuban Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) that has shown its value in patients infected with coronavirus, was officially approved for use against this disease by the Cuban regulatory authority. The Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED) confirmed this Friday the authorization for the emergency use of the drug as part of the protocol for the treatment of seriously and critically ill COVID-19 patients, the island’s media reported. Itolizumab “passed the preclinical stage of its research and proved to be safe for use in humans, in diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, which have a mechanism and behavior similar to COVID-19,” reported official television, quoted by the Cubadebate site. With its use, “the cytokine storm pattern produced by the disease caused by the new coronavirus decreases considerably and patients improve their respiratory capacity,” said CECMED. Dr. Kalet Monzón, deputy director of the CIM, commented that the approval not only officially authorizes its use in Cuban protocol, but also opens the door for it to be used in other countries. “This result will revitalize the research we are doing on this...

Help us keep OnCuba alive This Saturday the last group of health collaborators who remained in Mexico working with patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus for three months returned to Cuba. Composed of 578 specialists, including 265 doctors, 285 nurses, seven graduates in hygiene and epidemiology and ten electromedical engineers, the entire brigade is already on the island, when the third group of members of the Henry Reeve contingent arrived. Miladys Orraca Castillo, the leader of the group, pointed out that it was a very disciplined work team, and that of the several occasions they have completed a mission, this has been the return they have felt the most from the emotional point of view, a note from the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency specified. Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Mexican government “to the Cuban doctors and nurses who came to save lives in our country.” https://twitter.com/m_ebrard/status/1287049905215803392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287049905215803392%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fciencia%2Fsalud-en-cuba%2Fregresa-de-mexico-ultimo-grupo-de-colaboradores-cubanos-de-la-salud%2F The entire brigade was made up of 578 specialists, including 265 doctors, 285 nurses, seven graduates in hygiene and epidemiology, and ten electromedical engineers from of the country’s fifteen provinces. During their stay, the Cuban specialists treated 54,000 people, including 43,000 new coronavirus positive...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba experienced a further increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus contagions this Sunday, after the already worrying results from Saturday. Health authorities report 37 new cases, 26 of them from Havana; 11 had the source of contagion abroad. The Havana cases are distributed in the municipalities of La Lisa, where a new transmission event is reported, 10 de Octubre, Marianao, Arroyo Naranjo, San Miguel del Padrón, Centro Habana, Habana del Este and Cerro. The 10 cases of Artemisa correspond to Bauta and one of the individuals whose source of contagion occurred abroad corresponds to the Isla de la Juventud. All are Cuban and 26 are contacts of confirmed cases; 20 are men and 17 women; 29 were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1287747534606278657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287747534606278657%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fotro-dia-en-alza-suben-a-37-los-nuevos-contagios-de-covid-19-en-cuba%2F By age groups, the most affected were: from 40 to 59 years, with 20 cases; under 20, with seven, and from 20 to 39, as well as over 60, with five each. No seriously or critically ill cases were reported. There were also no deaths during the day due to COVID-19. At midnight yesterday, 397 people were under primary healthcare surveillance. A total of 3,212 samples were studied yesterday, with which the...

Most of the new cases correspond to two outbreaks located in Bauta, Artemisa province, and Havana, which accumulated 14 cases of the 17 infected.

No deaths were reported and there were four discharges. Thus, the number of fatal victims of COVID-19 in Cuba remains at 87 and that of recovered patients amounted to 2,345, more than 94% of those infected to date.

Help us keep OnCuba alive The Cuban health authorities today reported three new cases of COVID-19, after performing 3,075 tests during a day without deaths and with a slight increase in the number of hospitalized people or under surveillance in their homes. They are Cubans; one was a contact of confirmed cases; in another individual the source of infection is not specified and a third had the source of infection abroad. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1286651210674700289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1286651210674700289%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-tres-nuevos-contagios-repartidos-entre-la-habana-y-artemisa%2F The man whose contagion occurred outside the island is 43 years old, and is a resident of Cerro. He came from Monterrey, Mexico at the time of his diagnosis. The remaining two are from the municipalities of Regla (Havana) and Bauta (Artemisa). Two of the three new infections are men, two were asymptomatic and, by age range, one belongs to the group of 20 to 30 years, and another is over 60. At midnight yesterday, 211 were hospitalized and 306 were under primary healthcare surveillance. Cuba has processed to date a total of 240,894 tests, of which 2,469 have been positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive More than 539,000 Cubans made reservations in hotels open for the domestic market on the island after the resumption of activities in the tourism sector after months of shutdown due to COVID-19, Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García said this Tuesday on the Mesa Redonda television program. Currently 125 of these facilities operate for Cuban tourists, while reservations are marketed in more than 230 points of sale at the beginning of the post-COVID-19 de-escalation, said the minister quoted by Cubadebate. https://twitter.com/MinturCuba/status/1285725296377962496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285725296377962496%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Feconomia%2Fturismo%2Fmas-de-medio-millon-de-cubanos-reservaron-en-hoteles-tras-inicio-de-la-desescalada-post-covid%2F García announced the possibility that starting in August the sale of all tourist offers for Cubans will also begin in freely convertible currency―along with the convertible peso (CUC)―, through debit cards backed by bank accounts, a system already used to market various products in stores especially opened for this. “We will also keep all the options in CUC, but if someone wants to pay in foreign currency, they can do so. To encourage this option, we will give a 10% discount,” said the minister, who said that the stores dedicated to international tourism will also sell their products in foreign currencies, “always in accordance with the country’s provisions.” https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/steps-and-keys-for-reopening-cuban-tourism/ As for the camping...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba continues its fight against COVID-19 and, according to information from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) today, there were four infections in the last 24 hours, after having carried out 3,002 tests throughout the country. The four are Cuban, two contacts of confirmed cases and in two individuals the source of infection is not yet specified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1286291156335235072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1286291156335235072%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-hoy-con-cuatro-casos-de-coronavirus-todos-identificados-en-la-habana%2F By age group, two belong to the range of 20 to 40 years; one does not exceed 20 and the other is classified between 41 and 60. There were equal numbers of men and women among the positive cases this time and, of the total, two were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. With the 13 patients who were discharged yesterday, 2,339 have recovered on the island, where only one person from Havana is reported in a stable critical condition. However, at midnight on Wednesday, 172 people were hospitalized and 237 were under primary healthcare surveillance. No deaths from the pandemic have been reported for eleven days. With yesterday’s 3,002 tests, Cuba has processed a total of 237,819 samples, of which 2,466 were positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive The new stores selling in freely convertible currency, whose opening was announced last week by the Cuban government as part of a package of economic measures to face the post-COVID-19 stage, started operating this Monday throughout the island. There are a total of 72 establishments that, according to what was announced, opened their doors for the sale of food and toiletries (57 stores), as well as hardware products (15), with prices in USD and payment through debit cards associated with bank accounts in freely convertible currency. https://www.facebook.com/ElChagoSantiagodeCuba/posts/4629188763773404 Of these, 14 are located in different Havana municipalities and the remaining 58 are distributed throughout the country―at least two per province―, belonging to the state chains Cimex and Tiendas Caribe. They are joining the existing establishments for the sale of household appliances, electric motorcycles and car components in freely convertible currency, opened last October with the intention of injecting foreign currency into the battered Cuban economy. On a tour of several of the stores in the Cuban capital, particularly those located in the municipalities of Centro Habana and Old Havana, OnCuba was able to verify a variable influx of buyers, corresponding to the products on sale. While...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cubans and foreigners residing in Cuba will now be able to receive international money orders of up to 1,000 dollars from Peru and Colombia, according to the Correos de Cuba Business Group. The postal authorities of the three countries agreed to establish this service, “according to the provisions of the Money Order Agreement of the Universal Postal Union,” specifies a note from the Correos de Cuba quoted by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency. The official note adds that “postal operators from Spain, Chile, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic are also incorporated into that agreement,” and affirms that “Correos de Cuba continues to carry out feasibility studies and negotiations with postal operators from other countries to expand that service.” https://www.facebook.com/CorreosdeCuba/posts/1344968912373615 In the case of money orders sent from Peru and Colombia, these may be collected the same day they are sent, “in any of the Correos de Cuba postal units that provide this service, for which recipients must only present their personal identification and the secret code sent by the sender,” according to the ACN, which published a list of the units enabled for collecting the money orders. Among these are an office...

Help us keep OnCuba alive here After 60 years of enmity, diplomatic and political fights, on July 20, 2015, Cuba and the United States reestablished their relations. A period of hope was beginning, but that time barely lasted two years. The coming to power of Donald Trump stopped the “thaw” and, with it, the perspectives of thousands of Cuban families, true protagonists of these times of more than half a century of disagreements between the two shores. These are some of their faces and stories compiled by EFE. “I thought I could travel to Miami if my mother gets sick or dies” Photographer José Alberto Figueroa, 74, during his interview with EFE on July 14, in Havana. Photo: Ernesto Mastrascusa/EFE. “I was left alone at 20 in Cuba,” says José Alberto Figueroa, photographer. His parents and siblings emigrated to the United States in the 1960s, but he stayed behind to pursue his passion, photography. He started as a disciple of renowned Alberto Korda and finally made a name for himself in the profession. For decades he communicated through letters and semi-clandestine calls with his mother and siblings. “I was frowned upon. You were pointed out in the neighborhood’s Committee for...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Health authorities report today that in Cuba the numbers of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections rose in the last 24 hours after the diagnosis of 13 positive cases in Artemisa and Villa Clara. Twelve of these cases are confined to the municipality of Bauta, Artemisa, where, according to Dr. Francisco Durán in his appearance before the press, there was a recently detected focus, “as a consequence of violation of the health measures.” https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1285929966824292352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285929966824292352%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdespues-de-varios-dias-de-calma-los-nuevos-casos-de-covid-19-en-cuba-se-elevan-a-13%2F They are Cubans; 12 of them contacts of confirmed cases. Only in one individual was the source of contagion not specified and this is the case of Placetas, Villa Clara. Seven were women; and of the total infections, eight were asymptomatic. By age ranges, 5 belong to the group between 20 and 40 years old, while five were under 20, the same number as in the 41 to 60 age group; 5 patients were discharged yesterday, while one person was reported critically ill. For ten days there have been no reports of deaths due to the new coronavirus in Cuba, where until midnight on Tuesday 21, 181 patients were still hospitalized and 254 persons were under primary healthcare surveillance. For yesterday, 2,714 tests were...

Help us keep OnCuba alive After a day where for the first time since March there were no COVID-19 positive cases, the health authorities today reported three new infections, detected in Havana and Artemisa. These are Cubans, one contact of a confirmed case; another contracted the disease abroad and, in the third individual, the source of infection is not specified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1285568383652700164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285568383652700164%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdespues-de-una-jornada-en-cero-cuba-reporta-tres-nuevos-contagios-a-la-covid-19-de-la-habana-y-artemisa%2F The person with a source of contagion abroad resides in the Havana municipality of Plaza and came from Mexico. The remaining two cases were identified in the municipalities of Arroyo Naranjo and Bauta. Women predominated over men and only one individual was asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. By age group, two are between 20-39 years old and one between 40-59 years old; 136 people were hospitalized and 146 are under primary healthcare surveillance, in a day where 2,746 tests were made throughout the country to detect the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Again there were no deaths due to the new coronavirus and two people were discharged; the number of people recovered from the disease in Cuba amounts to 2,321. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive  On July 16, the Council of Ministers approved an economic strategy in order to counteract the effects of the economic crisis that Cuba is undergoing, exacerbated as a result of the new coronavirus pandemic, and to boost the economy: “Economic-social strategy for boosting the economy and dealing with the world crisis caused by COVID-19.” As announced in the Mesa Redonda television program by Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil, this strategy “is aimed at eliminating the obstacles that operate in the economy, but maintaining and defending the concept of planning.” For Cuban economist Tamarys Lien Bahamonde, nine fundamental aspects can be identified in the strategy proposed to face the crisis: Centralized planning; Import substitution; Regulation of market mechanisms. (For non-economists, planning is usually geared toward correcting market distortions); Complementarity of multiple economic actors: “self-employed,” cooperatives and the state sector; Revitalize domestic demand; Autonomy of the state business sector; Implement key aspects of the resizing of the non-state sector. (It is not yet clear which ones exactly, although ideas such as the possibilities of exporting and importing appear among the changes); Competitiveness (is encouraged through savings, efficiency, and motivation for work); and Active environmental policy....

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuban dancer, choreographer and director Carlos Acosta was named a member of the Board of Governors of The Royal Ballet School, the Birmingham Royal Ballet reported on its Twitter account. “I hope to bring a broader perspective to the school’s future direction and plans. The presence and influence of the Birmingham Royal Ballet on the Board provides a golden opportunity to celebrate our historic relationship with The Royal Ballet School,” said Acosta, quoted by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency. https://twitter.com/BRB/status/1283805042575912961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1283805042575912961%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcultura%2Fdanza%2Fcarlos-acosta-a-la-junta-de-gobernadores-del-royal-ballet-school%2F The president of The Royal Ballet School, Christopher Rodrigues, was pleased to welcome the Cuban to the Board, who has been director of the Birmingham company since January. Rodrigues commented that Acosta’s perspective as the new director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet “will prove invaluable” in helping the school maintain its relationship with that dance company. For his part, the artistic director of The Royal Ballet School, Christopher Powney, was delighted that the famous dancer bring his energy and commitment to dance. “I look forward to working with Carlos, as director of one of our great companies, and also receiving his support as Governor. He will continue being an inspiration to our young...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The news can’t be better for Cuba today: zero new infections, zero deaths, zero serious and critical cases due to the SARS-Cov-2 virus. This is why Dr. Francisco Durán again asked permission to take off his mask during his appearance before the press, although only because he is at a safe distance from the others, as he warned. The records of the last 24 hours come during the day when most of the island’s provinces are starting a new stage in the process of returning to normal after four months of fighting the pandemic. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1285213552912019456 “This doesn’t mean we are done,” said the expert in epidemiology. “We expect there will be more cases and that is why the tests aren’t going to decrease. We believe there are still infected people. The goal is to find them, isolate them and diagnose them,” he added at the end of his press conference. Meanwhile, 123 people remain hospitalized and 135 are under primary healthcare surveillance. Yesterday, 2,914 tests were made throughout the country. Cuba has thus processed a total of 229,357 tests, of which 2,446 have been positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive On July 16, the Council of Ministers approved an economic strategy in order to counteract the effects of the economic crisis that Cuba is undergoing, exacerbated as a result of the new coronavirus pandemic, and to boost the economy: “Economic-social strategy for boosting the economy and dealing with the world crisis caused by COVID-19.” As announced in the Mesa Redonda television program by Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil, this strategy “is aimed at eliminating the obstacles that operate in the economy, but maintaining and defending the concept of planning.” For Cuban economist Tamarys Lien Bahamonde, nine fundamental aspects can be identified in the strategy proposed to face the crisis: Centralized planning; Import substitution; Regulation of market mechanisms. (For non-economists, planning is usually geared toward correcting market distortions); Complementarity of multiple economic actors: “self-employed,” cooperatives and the state sector; Revitalize domestic demand; Autonomy of the state business sector; Implement key aspects of the resizing of the non-state sector. (It is not yet clear which ones exactly, although ideas such as the possibilities of exporting and importing appear among the changes); Competitiveness (is encouraged through savings, efficiency, and motivation for work); and Active environmental policy....

Help us keep OnCuba alive Only one person was diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Cuba in the last 24 hours, according to Dr. Francisco Durán in his daily appearance before the press. There were no deaths and “it is one of our most favorable days,” he said. This is a 72-year-old Cuban woman from Yara, Granma province, whose source of infection was abroad, like 169 other Cubans reported since the pandemic began on the island. “It’s an imported case,” said Durán. She was asymptomatic at the time of her diagnosis and was the contact of an already detected case. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1284845604712189952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1284845604712189952%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fotro-dia-para-cuba-con-un-solo-positivo-a-la-covid-19%2F Active cases dropped to 49, while 187 people remained hospitalized and 190 were under primary healthcare surveillance. Yesterday, 2,745 tests were made to detect the disease. With them, the country has processed a total of 226,443 tests, of which 2,446 have been positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba is one of the countries with the highest number of tests made per million inhabitants to detect COVID-19, according to the island’s health authorities. In total, more than 35,000 tests have been made per million inhabitants, between real-time PCR and rapid tests, in Cuba until July 1 to detect possible cases of coronavirus, Dr. Francisco Durán, national director epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), explained this Friday, cited by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) new agency. In his usual morning press conference on the country’s epidemiological situation, Durán said that this number places Cuba among the 20 countries with the most diagnoses made, “despite not being among the most affected” by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/coronavirus-in-cuba-four-months-living-with-the-pandemic/ The epidemiologist said that the figures for Cuba don’t appear officially on the world statistics site (Statista.com), but that “it could be placed on the table, with exactly 35,115 tests, between rapid tests and PCRs” per million persons. He said that according to that site, the United Kingdom leads that indicator with 138,860 diagnoses, followed by Russia, Qatar, Spain, the United States, Italy, Canada, Germany and China. Meanwhile, among Latin American countries the list is led...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba reported only one case of coronavirus this Saturday after 2,059 samples were studied, according to the daily report of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). Dr. Francisco Durán, director of epidemiology of the MINSAP, explained in the usual press conference that the person diagnosed is a Cuban whose age group is between 20 and 44 years. So far the source of infection could not be specified. The patient lives in Regla and after his confirmation of COVID-19 fourteen contacts remain under surveillance. The specialist reported that at the close of yesterday Friday, Cuba had processed a total 223, 698 tests, of which 2,445 have been positive, for a total rate of 1.1%. https://youtu.be/bEIZUmzWbm0 He commented that 246 patients are hospitalized for clinical-epidemiological surveillance, while another 115 are under primary healthcare in their homes. Yesterday, no critically ill or seriously ill patients were reported, Durán added. Of the total number of patients confirmed with the disease, 52 have a stable clinical condition. The death toll remains at 87; 2,304 patients have been discharged. Yesterday, Friday, four more patients were discharged after recovering from COVID-19. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández assured in his appearance in the Mesa Redonda television program that the changes approved this Thursday during an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers, known as “economic-social strategy to boost the economy and deal with the world crisis caused by COVID-19,” are aimed at eliminating the obstacles that operate in the economy, but maintaining and defending the concept of planning. He said that this strategy was built on a set of principles that he listed as follows: keep planning centralized; defend national production and banish the import mentality; regulate the market; complementarity of economic actors; revitalizing role of domestic demand for the economy; give greater management autonomy to the business sector; implement key aspects, approved and pending, mainly with respect to the forms of management; encourage competitiveness, savings, motivation for work and efficiency; and an active environmental policy in harmony with the country’s regulations. He emphasized that the main focus is on food production, where he identified the need to eliminate many subjective problems related to financing structures, the flexibility of marketing and the defense of the principle of collections and payments relations. He said that...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The Cuban government announced this Thursday that it will abolish the tax on the U.S. dollar, which had been the complaint of many Cubans, both those who send remittances and those who receive them, especially from the United States. The suppression of this tax, in force for 15 years, is intended to encourage the purchase of goods freely convertible currency in state-run commercial establishments. It seeks to raise more foreign currency at a time when Cuba has received a severe blow to its main sources of income, particularly tourism, as a result of the current international situation and the increase in the U.S. embargo. Its elimination will come into effect on Monday July 20 and is part of a package of measures, many of them identified in previous programmatic documents, but slowed down or not carried out to date, that seeks to alleviate the complex economic situation the island is going through, aggravated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Also part of the package is the opening of new stores for retail sale in freely convertible currency in 72 establishments throughout the country and which will also begin their services next Monday, according to...

Help us keep OnCuba alive here Next Monday all of Cuba, except for Havana and its neighboring province of Mayabeque, will enter the third and last stage of the post-coronavirus pandemic reopening, although the borders will continue to be closed until the situation improves in the capital, where contagions are still being registered. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero reported this Thursday that until further notice Havana will remain in phase 1, which includes the reestablishment of urban public transportation, the reopening with limited capacity of restaurants and bars and access to beaches, among other measure. https://twitter.com/PresidenciaCuba/status/1283986182947340290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1283986182947340290%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fmenos-en-la-habana-y-mayabeque-cuba-arranca-con-la-ultima-fase-de-reapertura%2F The province of Mayabeque, for its part, will continue in phase 2, which expands access to other public places, allows the resumption of some cultural activities and international tourism limited to several keys on the Cuban coast and without contact with the local population. In the rest of the island, there have been no new cases of COVID-19 for more than 28 days, which correspond to two incubation periods of the disease, so as of Monday they are ready to move on to phase three, the Cuban prime minister said in a televised appearance. Some of them have even been more than seventy days...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The four new infections registered by the Cuban health authorities in the last 24 hours were detected in Havana, which, together with Mayabeque, is the other territory that does not pass on to the third phase announced by the Cuban government in its plan to return to normality. In his morning press conference, Dr. Francisco Durán reaffirmed there were no deaths from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and that all the new infections correspond to Cubans; all are contacts of confirmed cases; three women, one man and three of them were asymptomatic. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1284114161031675905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1284114161031675905%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuatro-nuevos-positivos-a-la-covid-19-en-cuba-distribuidos-en-cuatro-municipios-habaneros%2F The municipalities where they were detected are: La Lisa, Boyeros, 10 de Octubre and Arroyo Naranjo. According to Durán, “all were related to outbreaks located on previous days.” By age groups: three are between 20 and 50, and the remaining individual is over 60 years old; 15 patients were discharged, to bring the number of recovered to 2,300. Only one person was reported seriously ill, a 49-year-old woman residing in Cerro. For yesterday’s diagnosis, 3,179 tests were performed; 2,131 of them in Havana. To date, Cuba has processed a total of 220,739 tests since the start of the pandemic on March 11. At midnight...

Help us keep OnCuba alive here The Cuban economy will fall 8% in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). In a report that updates the figures expected for the region this year as a consequence of COVID-19, ECLAC placed Cuba in the group of countries most affected, along with Venezuela (-6%), Peru (-13%), Argentina (-10.5%), Brazil (-9.2%), Mexico (-9%), Ecuador (-9%), El Salvador (-8.6%), Nicaragua (-8.3%) and Chile (-7.9%). The decline forecast for the island by ECLAC last April was 3.7%, but more than two months later the forecast for the fall has doubled, despite the fact that Cuba has managed to contain the disease and has already started de-escalation in search of economic recovery. In May, the Cuban government had recognized the negative impact of the pandemic on its economy, already hit by other factors such as the U.S. embargo and the recent measures of the Trump administration, the crisis of its ally Venezuela and internal inefficiency. Then, the Council of Ministers approved readjusting the economic plan of the year to “lead the country more objectively.” “An economy with zero tourism and an increase...