Cubans who wish to travel abroad will have to pay 40 CUC for the real-time PCR test that detects the presence of the new coronavirus, at least in the eastern province of Holguín and if the country to which they are going requires it.
This was affirmed by the provincial radio station, according to which “people who arrive in the national territory once they return to their country must undergo a PCR test, if the place they are going requires it,” while “Cubans who wish to travel out of personal interest must request this test.”
However, the report does not make it clear if for Cubans this requirement is extensive to all destinations or, as in the case of foreigners leaving the island, it should only be met if the trip is to countries that demand a PCR result from those who arrive in them.
Dennis Céspedes, head of the International Sanitary Control Department of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology in Holguín, said that the test will cost 40 Cuban convertible pesos (CUC), and that it can also be paid in Cuban pesos (CUP ) “or in another currency authorized for this type of operation, which will be valued at the current exchange rate.”
Céspedes added that before traveling, people from Holguin must request a diagnostic test at the Miramar Optical Medical Services Branch, or at the Guardalavaca International Clinic, located in the municipality of Banes.
Once they have made their request and receive the corresponding invoice, people should go to the Provincial Hygiene Center where the PCR test will be performed.
The report also explains that, as part of the new sanitary protocols applied on the island, travelers residing in Cuba who arrive in the country will undergo this test at no cost, while in the case of the tourists, the payment for the tests will be assumed by the Ministry of Tourism.
Travelers will be under epidemiological surveillance in their homes, or in hotels in the case of tourists, until they are notified about the results of the test, in a period of between 24 and 48 hours.
Cubans will receive care from the family doctor, and the PCR test will be repeated on the fifth day, according to the protocol, explained the specialist.
The information does not specify whether Cubans not residing on the island and foreigners who do not travel with tourist packages will be charged for the PCR test, as unofficial reports claimed, nor does it give details on whether the collection of a health fee, “with the objective of covering the costs of the implemented protocols,” announced for the Havana airport as of its reopening this Sunday, will also be extensive to the Holguín airport and the rest of the Cuban airports.
Cubans who wish to travel abroad will have to pay 40 CUC for the real-time PCR test that detects the presence of the new coronavirus, at least in the eastern province of Holguín and if the country to which they are going requires it.
This was affirmed by the provincial radio station, according to which “people who arrive in the national territory once they return to their country must undergo a PCR test, if the place they are going requires it,” while “Cubans who wish to travel out of personal interest must request this test.”
However, the report does not make it clear if for Cubans this requirement is extensive to all destinations or, as in the case of foreigners leaving the island, it should only be met if the trip is to countries that demand a PCR result from those who arrive in them.
Dennis Céspedes, head of the International Sanitary Control Department of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology in Holguín, said that the test will cost 40 Cuban convertible pesos (CUC), and that it can also be paid in Cuban pesos (CUP ) “or in another currency authorized for this type of operation, which will be valued at the current exchange rate.”
Céspedes added that before traveling, people from Holguin must request a diagnostic test at the Miramar Optical Medical Services Branch, or at the Guardalavaca International Clinic, located in the municipality of Banes.
Once they have made their request and receive the corresponding invoice, people should go to the Provincial Hygiene Center where the PCR test will be performed.
The report also explains that, as part of the new sanitary protocols applied on the island, travelers residing in Cuba who arrive in the country will undergo this test at no cost, while in the case of the tourists, the payment for the tests will be assumed by the Ministry of Tourism.
Travelers will be under epidemiological surveillance in their homes, or in hotels in the case of tourists, until they are notified about the results of the test, in a period of between 24 and 48 hours.
Cubans will receive care from the family doctor, and the PCR test will be repeated on the fifth day, according to the protocol, explained the specialist.
The information does not specify whether Cubans not residing on the island and foreigners who do not travel with tourist packages will be charged for the PCR test, as unofficial reports claimed, nor does it give details on whether the collection of a health fee, “with the objective of covering the costs of the implemented protocols,” announced for the Havana airport as of its reopening this Sunday, will also be extensive to the Holguín airport and the rest of the Cuban airports.
