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OnCuba editorial staff

OnCuba Staff

Students from a primary school in Havana. Photo: Ernesto Mastrascusa / EFE / Archive.

Cuba suspends classes for a month due to coronavirus

The Cuban government suspended the school year as of March 24 to prevent the expansion of COVID-19, a disease of which there were 40 confirmed cases on the island until this Sunday. The closure will extend for three weeks. The fourth week is the one corresponding to the school break. Therefore, starting this Tuesday, and for a month, teaching activities will stop. Classes would resume on Monday, April 20, depending on the epidemiological situation at that time. This was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero in the Mesa Redonda television program, dedicated to explaining the measures taken by the Cuban authorities to confront the pandemic, with the participation of officials from various ministries in the country. Marrero cited concerns associated with overcrowding and hygiene. “Many agree that being at school is safer than being on the street, but there are concerns about overcrowded or hygienic conditions in some schools, which has been the subject of analysis,” he said. He said that details would be given about facilities for working parents, as well as about daycare centers, which will continue to be open. “The aim is that working parents have facilities and possibilities to continue working, because the economy...

Cuban doctors and nurses after their arrival at Malpensa airport, Italy, to help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 22, 2020. Photo: Mateo Bazzi / EFE.

Cuban doctors arrive in Italy to combat coronavirus pandemic

The Cuban medical brigade that traveled to Italy from Havana on Saturday to combat the COVID-19 outbreak in the Italian region of Lombardy arrived this Sunday in the European country, the current epicenter of the pandemic. The group of 52 specialists, made up of 36 doctors, 15 nurses and a logistics specialist, was received by the Cuban ambassador to Italy, José Carlos Rodríguez, who greeted them when they got off the plane with a slight contact with the elbow, as he showed in a post on his Twitter account. https://twitter.com/JoseCarlosRguez/status/1241782355997732865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1241782355997732865&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Farticulos-revista%2Fmedicos-cubanos-llegan-a-italia-para-combatir-la-pandemia-de-coronavirus%2F The Cubans, belonging to the Henry Reeve International Contingent–specialized in disaster situations and epidemics–landed at Malpensa airport, Milan. Their trip responds to the request for help from that northern Italian region, the one most hit by the pandemic in that nation. The island’s specialists, highly qualified and experienced in other epidemics such as Ebola in Africa, will assist their colleagues from Lombardy, who are working under extreme conditions and in overflowing hospitals due to the rapid rise in the number of serious cases. In addition, they will join Chinese doctors who have arrived in the area with this same purpose. Cubans are expected to carry out their work in the...

A Cuban checks his cell phone using a facemask in Havana, as a protection measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba: confirmed COVID-19 cases rise to 40

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) confirmed this Monday morning the existence of 5 new cases of COVID-19 on the island. Thus, the number of infected at the close of this Sunday amounts to 40 throughout the country. The new patients detected are two tourists from France and Russia―the latter in critical condition―, two Cubans from Spain and a 91-year-old elderly woman, also Cuban, who was in contact with confirmed Canadian tourists last Saturday. Graph of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cuba until Sunday, March 22, 2020. The health authorities, who affirm there is no local transmission in Cuba, also report that two of the patients are reported in a critical condition, one severe, while 35 have a “stable clinical evolution.” The figure of 40 confirmed cases is completed with the Italian tourist who died days ago, and the American evacuated to his country. In addition, until Sunday there were a total of 1,036 patients, of them 531 suspects, were hospitalized for a “clinical-epidemiological surveillance in isolation and care centers created for this purpose,” according to MINSAP. Another 37,788 people are also watched at home through Primary Health Care. https://www.facebook.com/MINSAPCuba/photos/a.321687864707422/1297965440412988/?type=3 Among the new confirmed cases, there is a 45-year-old...

A mother and daughter using facemasks in Havana, as a protection measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba with 35 confirmed cases of COVID-19

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) confirmed this Sunday 10 new cases of COVID-19 on the island, bringing the number to 35, including a deceased Italian tourist and a U.S. patient who was evacuated to his country. In its daily report on the previous day’s events, the MINSAP offered details on the new patients, which include three Canadian tourists, several Cubans who arrived from abroad―including an 18-month-old boy and his mother―and travelers’ contacts on the island and confirmed cases. *Caption: CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASES IN CUBA. Graph of temporary increase in number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cuba up to Saturday, March 21, 2020. The official note details that of the 33 confirmed patients who are hospitalized, two are reported in critical condition and one in serious, to whom “a medical team of specialists in Intensive Care and the Group of Experts of the Ministry of Public Health maintain permanent care and monitoring.” The rest of the patients “present a stable clinical evolution,” it added. Furthermore, the note affirms that 954 patients are currently hospitalized in the isolation and care centers created for clinical-epidemiological surveillance in the country; 255 of them are foreigners and 727 Cubans. Meanwhile, another 30,773 people...

Photo: Yander Zamora / EFE.

Another 4 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Cuba; a total of 25

According to data provided at the end of March 21, at 8:00 am this Saturday, another 4 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Cuba. The total since the first case was reported is 25 in the country, although only 23 people remain hospitalized. *Caption: CONFIRMED CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN CUBA One of the 25 confirmed cases was an American who was evacuated to the United States last Friday in an ambulance plane. The other, the 61-year-old Italian patient who died in the early hours of March 18. Two of the 23 patients currently hospitalized are reported in critical condition and one is in serious condition. The Ministry of Public Health reports that 716 people are hospitalized for clinical-epidemiological surveillance in the isolation and care centers created for this purpose. Of these “suspicious” cases, 205 are foreigners and 511 are Cubans. Another 28,139 people are monitored at home in Primary Health Care. On Saturday night, a Cuban medical brigade of 52 doctors and nurses left for Italy to collaborate in the fight against COVID-19 in the region of Lombardy, in the north of the country. https://oncubanews.com/especiales/especial-sobre-la-covid-19/ News ítem under construction…

Photo: Yander Zamora / EFE.

Two COVID-19 patients reported in serious condition in Cuba

According to Dr. José Raúl de Armas Fernández, head of the Department of Transmissible Diseases of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), since yesterday night, two patients with COVID-19 have been reported in a serious condition: one at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana, and the other in the Fermín Valdés Domínguez Hospital, in Holguín. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/cuba-registers-21-positive-cases-of-coronavirus-and-decides-to-close-its-borders-to-tourism/ He affirmed during a press conference in the morning that despite having a stable evolution from around the sixth to the eleventh day, the cases made a reversal that can place the carriers in a serious condition. There is no intrinsic (local) transmission, he said.   News ítem under construction...

Arrival of the Henry Reeve Brigade in Nicaragua to confront coronavirus.

Cuban medical brigade heads to Italy to confront coronavirus

Cuba announced the departure of medical brigades to deal with the expansion of COVID-19 in several countries that requested its cooperation. This Saturday one of them will fly to Italy to work in the Lombardy region, the one most affected by the pandemic. The doctors who will provide their services in Suriname and Grenada were bid farewell yesterday. They will arrive in Italy after the request for help made by this region due to the shortage of personnel in the already overflowing hospitals, said Giulio Gallera, the regional health adviser. Cuban medical brigade in Suriname. Photo: Marianela Samper / RHC. “This highly specialized personnel have participated in the fight against Ebola and know how to treat this type of disease,” the Italian official announced, adding that they will go “to alleviate the situation in the Crema hospital.” The Cuban doctors and paramedics will join the dozen Chinese doctors who arrived in Milan and who will be sent to a new field hospital in Bergamo, the Lombard province most affected by the new coronavirus. Cuban collaborators are already working with the same purpose in Venezuela and Nicaragua, responding to the request of the governments of both Latin American nations. https://oncubanews.com/mundo/europa/cuba-envia-personal-medico-a-italia-para-combatir-el-coronavirus/ Cuba...

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks to patients and health workers by video at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Photo: Xie Huanchi / Xinhua via AP / Archive.

China prepares donation to confront COVID-19 in Cuba

The government of China is preparing a donation for Cuba to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the international assistance provided by the Asian country due to the accumulated experience in fighting the disease. The Cuban ambassador to Beijing, Carlos Miguel Pereira, assured on social networks that the contribution of the Asian nation “is ready and will arrive very soon” to Cuba, according to Prensa Latina (PL) news agency, which, however, does not specify what the donation consist of. The diplomat appreciated the gesture, as well as “the growing number of Chinese companies, with historical ties to the island, that have expressed their intention to send donations” and assured that they “will undoubtedly strengthen our national capacities in to confront COVID -19.” https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1096438580715402&set=a.237885349904067&type=3 The Chinese Foreign Ministry reported this week that, in addition to Cuba, it has also sent or will send assistance to an important group of nations, including some that are currently suffering the terrible consequences of the outbreak, such as Italy, France, Spain, Iran and South Korea, as well as others that are in initial periods of transmission of the coronavirus. According to the press report, the assistance already provided by China to some countries includes...

Cuba registers 21 positive cases of coronavirus and decides to close its borders to tourism

The Cuban government announced that the number of positive cases of coronavirus on the island amounted to 21, while the suspected cases already number 716, just nine days after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Cuba. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced at the Mesa Redonda program on Cuban television that the island will close its borders to international tourism. Cuba will not allow tourists to enter as of Tuesday, and decided on the departure of around 60,000 foreign visitors who remain on the island, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said on television. The closure does not apply to Cubans who return to the island, nor to foreigners residing in Cuba, who must remain in quarantine for 14 days after arrival in the territory, Marrero explained. Given the threat posed by the pandemic, the Cuban government decided to implement isolation measures for people with suspicious symptoms. Likewise, it will impose restrictions on the freedom of movement of crews that arrive in Cuba and have to stay on the island for a while. As part of the measures, twice-a-day monitoring was arranged of tourists and workers in that sector. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz assured that the approved measures were not...

Photo: Jstor Daily.

Report: coronavirus also affects young people

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus cases in the United States shows that people in their 20s, 30s and 40s account for a significant number of hospitalizations. The report, published this Thursday, showed that the virus is more deadly for people aged over 65 and with preconditions, as specialists and health officials have been repeating. But lo and behold, in nearly 500 hospitalized coronavirus positive cases, 20% were people aged 20 to 44. And adults aged 45 to 54 made up another 18%. Sally Alrabaa, an infectious disease specialist at the University of South Florida (USF) School of Medicine, said that we all need to be very careful. Even young people can get coronavirus pneumonia. “This is a new virus and we are trying to understand its behavior,” she said. "We really should be open, expecting surprises. We don’t know what kind of pattern is going to follow.” She said that as people age, they may notice more severe symptoms, but that doesn’t mean that the virus cannot affect anyone, regardless of their age. “Young people,” she emphasized, “should not take risks. No one can predict what will happen if they catch it,"...

FitCuba is the largest exhibition and promotional fair for the leisure industry on the island, attended by businesspeople, representatives of travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, suppliers and other tourism-related companies. Photo: EFE / Ernesto Mastrascusa / Archive

International Tourism Fair in Cuba suspended

The 40th International Tourism Fair of Cuba (FitCuba), scheduled May 4-9, was postponed due to the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus, its organizers reported. The note released by the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) this Thursday announced the postponement of the country's tourism industry main fair until a new date, which “will be given in a timely manner.” For this edition of FitCuba, dedicated to Russia as the guest of honor country, the chosen venue was the western beach resort of Varadero. The event would be focused on the sun and beach modality, the star product of the Caribbean nation, renowned for its tropical climate and the beauty of its coasts. FitCuba is the largest exhibition and promotional fair for the leisure industry on the island, attended by businesspeople, representatives of travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, suppliers and other tourism-related companies. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/cinco-personas-mas-dieron-positivas-al-coronavirus-en-cuba/ COVID-19 IN CUBA The expansion of COVID-19, which has become an international pandemic, has not yet generated a significant impact in Cuba. In fact, the government announced a series of measures, but will make them known this evening on the Mesa Redonda television program. So far, the health authorities have registered 16 cases―all imported. Five new positive cases were confirmed yesterday:...

Cubans around the world ask Trump to lift economic restrictions on Cuba during pandemic

A petition on the U.S. change.org website is asking President Donald Trump to lift economic restrictions on Cuba during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Less than two hours after it was published, at least 400 people had signed it this Thursday night. The well-known teacher Carlos Lazo, author of the petition, invites Cubans living in the United States and around the world to sign the letter, “men and women of different political or religious beliefs who are joined by the desire for peace and reconciliation between our nations.” “In the face of the world emergency due to the coronavirus plague, we implore you to lift the commercial and financial restrictions established by the United States towards Cuba,” says the petition, and then explains how the limitations hinder or prevent Cuba from acquiring medical equipment, food and medicines. “We beg that, at least for the duration of this calamity, the U.S. government extend a friendly and supportive hand to the Cuban people. Failure to do so could cause a humanitarian crisis of incalculable consequences in Cuba.” And it adds: “We believe that, in this painful hour, political considerations should give way to human considerations.” Lazo ended the petition alleging Trump's own words...

The Virology Laboratory where samples of patients from the eastern provinces of the country suspected of coronavirus are analyzed, is an institution of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, belonging to the Provincial Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, located at the entrance to the National Thruway in Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Miguel Rubiera / AIN.

Eleventh coronavirus positive case in Cuba

In this Wednesday’s nightly edition of the National Television Newscast (NTV), a note from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) informed the population of the eleventh coronavirus positive case in Cuba. It is a 57-year-old Canadian citizen who had entered the country on March 14 through Holguín’s international airport. The tourist went to the doctor at the Paradisus Río de Oro Hotel, where he was staying, with symptoms of the disease. Once declared a suspect, he was transferred to an isolation center. The technical tests on the Canadian citizen at the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Provincial Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Santiago de Cuba came out positive for the new coronavirus. The note concluded by stating that his six direct contacts have been isolated and are under epidemiological surveillance. His state of health is so far satisfactory. News item under construction….

Buses in front of the British cruise ship MS Braemar, with five confirmed cases of COVID-19, for the transfer of its passengers after it docked on the morning of this Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in the port of Mariel, west of Havana. Photo: ACN / Facebook.

In Cuba, British cruise ship with COVID-19 cases; evacuation of passengers underway

The British cruise ship MS Braemar, with five confirmed cases of COVID-19 on board and a group of people isolated for presenting suspicious symptoms, docked this Wednesday morning in the Cuban port of Mariel, west of Havana. The ship’s passengers’ disembarking and evacuation began at around 1:00 in the afternoon. The cruise passengers were transported by bus to a terminal at the José Martí International Airport, for their return to the United Kingdom, while most of the ship’s crew members will remain on board to take over the ship’s journey when so determined. The first buses with passengers arrived at the Havana terminal for their departure by plane this Wednesday afternoon, while the evacuation of the rest from the port of Mariel continued. A video published by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency shows a caravan of buses leaving the port for Havana, guarded by the police. There were four lines of buses like this one, one for each flight scheduled for the transfer of cruise passengers. https://www.facebook.com/ACNCuba/videos/2595159204095497/ The five confirmed cases will also be evacuated, a diplomatic source confirmed to the Spanish agency EFE. A television report broadcast Wednesday morning from the Cuban port explained that the...

Grandparents’ home in Cuba, for the care of the elderly. Photo: iris.paho.org / Archive.

Cuba prioritizes prevention of COVID-19 in the elderly, according to MINSAP

As part of the plan for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Cuba, the island’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) is prioritizing the care of the elderly, considered a population group at high risk for the disease. This was stated this Tuesday by Dr. Alberto Fernández Seco, head of the Department for the Elderly, Social Assistance and Mental Health of MINSAP, who at a press conference affirmed that his ministry has redoubled preventive measures among those over 60, a population sector that exceeds two million people in Cuba, 20.8% of the Cuban population, and that has aggravating factors such as decreased immune capacity and chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and respiratory disorders. Fernández Seco explained that there is currently an active investigation among these persons, with an emphasis on those who live alone, who are around 15% of the total. In addition, he said that specific measures have been adopted for the institutions that serve this age group, including nursing homes and grandparents’ homes, of which there are 155 and 293 throughout the country, respectively. These centers’ workers have been trained to detect suspicious symptoms and daily exams are carried out, both on older adults and on the...

The British cruise ship MS Braemar (from a distance), with five confirmed cases of COVID-19 on board, performs its docking operation in the Cuban port of Mariel, on Wednesday March 18, 2020. Photo: Cubadebate.

British cruise ship docks in Cuba with COVID-19 cases

The British cruise ship MS Braemar, with five confirmed cases of COVID-19 on board and a group of people isolated for presenting suspicious symptoms, carried out its docking operation in the Cuban port of Mariel this Wednesday morning. The operation began around 7:00 in the morning and the disembarking of the passengers is scheduled to begin around 1:00 in the afternoon, according to the official Cubadebate site. Hours later, they will be transferred to José Martí International Airport for their return to the United Kingdom. A television report broadcast this morning from the Cuban port, located to the west of Havana, explained that this is a slow procedure, due to the strict measures established for the safety of cruise passengers, crew and Cuban personnel participating in the operation, and whose number has not been made official. https://twitter.com/PresidenciaCuba/status/1240275208390524928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240275208390524928&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fatraca-en-cuba-crucero-britanico-con-enfermos-de-covid-19%2F The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) assured that this operation, organized jointly with the British authorities, is being carried out following established international protocols and that the island has “all the resources and means” for its successful execution. The MS Braemar carries 682 passengers and 381 crew members. After being rejected by several countries in the area due to the presence of...

A Cuban uses a facemask as a measure against the coronavirus in Havana, after the report of confirmed cases on the island. Photo: Yander Zamora / EFE.

First deceased in Cuba by COVID-19; confirmed cases rise to 10

Cuba reported this Wednesday its first death from COVID-19, while announcing the confirmation of three new cases, bringing the number to 10. The deceased is a 61-year-old Italian ―one of the first three confirmed cases on the island― with a history of bronchial asthma and who had presented increasing complications in recent days. The patient was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine in critical condition and “despite the efforts made by the intensive care team that directly treated him, as well as by the group of experts from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), which gave him permanent follow-up, the developed complications typical of his disease caused his death,” MINSAP reported in a note. The health authorities deeply regretted what happened and conveyed their condolences to family and friends of the deceased. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1240296670220427266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240296670220427266&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fpimer-fallecido-en-cuba-por-covid-19-casos-confirmados-suben-a-10%2F As for the three new cases reported, MINSAP reported that they were confirmed this Tuesday night by the molecular biology laboratory of the Provincial Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Villa Clara. The first of them is a 25-year-old Cuban, resident in the city of Santa Clara, who arrived in Cuba on March 8 from Madrid, Spain and started...

Facade of the Cuban embassy in Washington. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo / EFE.

Cuban Embassy in United States suspends person-to-person consular services

As of today Tuesday, the Cuban embassy in the United States is suspending its person-to-person consular services at the Consular Office in Washington DC, as a consequence of the expansion of the coronavirus and the declaration of National Emergency, issued on March 13 by the U.S. government. https://twitter.com/EmbaCubaEEUU/status/1239710322354802689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1239710322354802689&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba-ee-uu%2Fembajada-cubana-en-estados-unidos-suspende-servicios-consulares-presenciales%2F The consular headquarters will offer non-person-to-person procedures through the post or the agencies with which the Consulate has an established contract, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in INFORMATION NOTE No. 1/2020. Given the expansion of COVID-19, the diplomatic headquarters reiterated to the Cuban community residing in the United States the need to strictly comply with the instructions and recommendations provided by the health authorities, as well as the need to keep informed through official sources and communication channels of the Cuban Embassy and Consulate. So far, there are more than 4,600 infected persons in the United States, and there are already 85 deaths. The country is in eighth place, taking into account the incidence of the pandemic, which has already contaminated more than 185,000 persons worldwide.

The MS Braemar ship operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Photo: Horacio Villalobos-Corbis/Getty Images/Archive.

Cuba ready to receive British cruise ship carrying coronavirus cases

The Cuban government has agreed to receive the cruise ship MS Braemar, which has been anchored for days about 40 km from Freeport in Grand Bahamas, waiting to dock in a Caribbean port without receiving authorization, due to the five cases of coronavirus it carries on board. https://twitter.com/BrunoRguezP/status/1239560653221888001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1239560653221888001&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-dispuesta-a-recibir-un-crucero-britanico-con-enfermos-de-coronavirus%2F The news came out after Patrick Oppmann, the CNN correspondent in Havana, affirmed that “the Cuban government is ready to receive” the ship. According to the reporter, a Cuban diplomatic source assured CNN that Cuba and the United Kingdom had entered into talks regarding the ship due to which the Cuban government “has said that it will allow the ship to dock in Cuba for 'humanitarian reasons' and the need to make ‘a joint effort to confront and stop the spread of the pandemic.’” According to CNN, the Cuban government “understands the difficult situation in which these passengers find themselves.” If the event occurred, according to Oppmann on his Twitter account, Cuba would be the first country in the Caribbean to lend aid to the ship, since Barbados had denied its docking on Thursday and the Bahamas on Friday. He also adds that “it is not yet clear when the ship can...

Exterior view of the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine, in Havana, Cuba, where the confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized on the island. Photo: Ernesto Mastrascusa / EFE.

Italian patient with COVID-19 in Cuba in critical condition

One of the three Italians confirmed to have COVID-19 in Cuba is in a “critical stable” condition, after his health began to deteriorate Sunday night. The 61-year-old patient with a history of bronchial asthma, “started presenting clinical manifestations of complications of the disease, for which he received treatment according to the established protocol,” according to a note from the island’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), published this Monday evening. “Today, March 16, in the 12 noon report, his condition has continued to deteriorate, which is why he has required artificial ventilation, his condition being reported as stable critical,” adds the note, which explains that “a medical team of specialists in intensive care and the group of experts from the Ministry of Public Health maintain constant care and follow-up.” The MINSAP statement assures that so far there are “only four confirmed cases of COVID-19” in Cuba, who are hospitalized in the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK). It specifies that “the rest of the patients ―two Italians and one Cuban― maintain a stable clinical evolution” and that their direct contacts continue “under strict surveillance.” https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1239634585283186690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1239634585283186690&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fen-estado-critico-paciente-italiano-con-covid-19-en-cuba%2F A previous statement, also from this Monday, reports that, in addition to the confirmed cases,...

Photo: Pedro Luis García.

Cuba: more than 250 suspected cases of COVID-19; only four confirmed

A total of 259 patients are currently hospitalized in Cuba for epidemiological surveillance in the face of the COVID-19 threat. Of them, 90 are foreigners and 169 Cubans. Since last January 25, 272 persons have been hospitalized, according to José Ángel Portal Miranda, the island’s Minister of Public Health. Portal Miranda points out that no new cases are reported and that 15,793 people are being monitored by the primary health care system, as part of the preventive and control measures, given the spread of the new coronavirus, which is already affecting a total of 125 countries from where more than 156,000 cases are reported. Of the four confirmed cases on the island, three are Italian citizens. The other case is a Cuban resident in the province of Villa Clara. All are maintaining a favorable evolution. Regarding the two direct contacts of the Cuban patient, including a one-year-old girl, both tested negative for the COVID-19. Among the hospitalized was the case of Adrián Fleites Zapata, the patient who may have been case zero in Cuba, as he was in direct contact with an infected woman from Panama in recent days. The architecture student at Cujae had published on social networks about...

Varadero’s Half Marathon is also postponed for September 27 because of COVID-19. Photo: gironnoticias.wordpress.com

Cuba suspends international sports events

All international sports events in Cuba are suspended until April 30, as part of the prevention measures against the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, according to the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER). The events that would take place between the rest of March and the month of April are the Giraldilla badminton tournament (March 13-17), the 2nd Cuba-Australia Rugby Friendship Cup (March 20-27), a match dated by FIFA against the Nicaraguan soccer team (March 25), the Varadero Half Marathon (March 29) and the Caribbean Table Tennis Tournament (April 2-8). Regarding the 3rd Half Marathon, it was reported that it will be held on September 27, keeping in force the already official registrations, with a confirmed participation of about 200 foreign athletes and 2,000 from the island. Another of the measures taken by the INDER is the greatest possible restriction on travel abroad by delegations, with priority for events directly linked to the Olympic and Paralympic classification processes, provided that the epidemiological situation of the host countries of the competitions allow. https://oncubanews.com/mundo/japon-descarta-idea-de-posponer-los-juegos-olimpicos-de-tokio/ In the international sports field, several qualifying events for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have already been suspended: the Boxing Pre-Olympic, in Buenos Aires, Argentina and...

Havana World Music in the Almendares Park. March 2019. Photo: Courtesy HWM.

Artistic events postponed to avoid contagion in Cuba

The Ministry of Culture (MINCULT) has postponed massive artistic events as a measure to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the country, when 4 cases have already been officially reported and there are more than 100 people hospitalized and under observation. “The Cuban Ministry of Culture reports that as part of the prevention and confrontation measures in our country against the new coronavirus, the decision has been made to postpone massive national and international artistic events that involve large crowds,” said a MINCULT press release. The note added that “artistic shows are suspended in the main theaters, movie and music houses, among other cultural centers, as well as concerts and dances, until the current situation is overcome, which will be reported in due course.” Among the next great cultural events that would take place in the country in the coming weeks was the Havana World Music Festival and the Drum Festival, which would be held in March, as well as the Piña Colada, scheduled for April. https://www.facebook.com/HavanaWorld/posts/2542667745947092:0 *Caption: 7th edition of the Havana World Music 2020 Festival postponed • The Recordings and Musical Editions Company, EGREM… Posted by Havana World Music on Friday, March 13, 2020 In the same...

A woman covers part of her face with a mask in Havana, on March 12, 2020, after the health authorities reported cases with COVID-19 on the island. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba keeps its borders open, despite COVID-19 pandemic

Cuba is keeping its borders open to visitors from all countries, including those who have declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic caused by the COVID-19 disease, Prensa Latina news agency reported this Friday. Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of hygiene and epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), assured that “reinforced surveillance” is carried out in the airports of the island, mainly of travelers from the countries with the highest number of affected persons: China, Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany and the United States. The specialist affirmed in a press conference that logistics and medicines to treat the disease are guaranteed in Cuba, as part of the government’s plan against the coronavirus, and that measures have been taken for prevention and control at the border and in the interior of the country, particularly around suspected and confirmed cases. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/cuba-has-medicines-for-thousands-of-possible-cases-of-covid-19/ Durán indicated that the four people detected with the disease so far on the island “are progressing favorably,” while a group of people suspected of suffering from the disease remain isolated, awaiting the results of the tests. The first positive cases of COVID-19 on the Island were reported this week. Three of them are...

Cuba postpones the Nation and Emigration Conference

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba reported today that the holding of the 4th The Nation and Emigration Conference, scheduled to take place between April 8 and 10, is postponed for the time being. As explained in a note published today on the portal of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, “given the entry into the country of the new coronavirus, as has been reported to national and international public opinion, our government is adopting the necessary measures with the aim of dealing with this situation as effectively as possible.” The note reports that “paying special attention to the criteria and concerns by guests to the event, the vast majority of whom reside in 39 countries where cases of the new coronavirus have been detected to date, it has been decided to postpone the holding of the 4th The Nation and Emigration Conference.” OnCuba learned a few weeks ago that invitations to attend the event had already been issued to some members of the diaspora. People from different countries and continents would participate. “The Cuban government thanks all Cuban citizens, and their descendants, who confirmed their attendance, as well as the support received from them for the successful holding of this...

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