{"id":216818,"date":"2020-04-04T18:23:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T22:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=216818"},"modified":"2020-04-04T18:23:38","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T22:23:38","slug":"havana-in-times-of-coronavirus-uncommon-scenes-with-facemask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/havana-in-times-of-coronavirus-uncommon-scenes-with-facemask\/","title":{"rendered":"Havana in times of coronavirus: (un)common scenes with facemask"},"content":{"rendered":"

Orlando walks slowly down Reina Street. At more than 70 years old, his legs don\u2019t allow him to walk too much, but, although he could now, he tells me, he prefers to walk without haste and save his energy for the return, or for when he needs to evade some crowds or group of passers-by who continue as if nothing were happening, despite the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> that is ravaging the world and has an increasing number of cases on the island.<\/p>\n

He is going to the bakery. He is wearing a cloth facemask and carries a bag, also made of cloth, in one hand. \u201cIt was made by my wife,\u201d he explains, \u201cwho knows how to sew and has also made facemasks for several neighbors and friends, even though she hasn\u2019t been shown on television.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bag, for the moment, is empty, but Orlando is confident that it can change that situation. In addition to bread, he plans to buy vegetables and tubers from a man selling them from a cart and some meat product in a store that is on his way. \u201cEven if it\u2019s mincemeat or sausages,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause to buy chicken you have to face a tremendous bunch of people and that right now is a little dangerous. Who knows where and with whom all those people in the line who get near you have been, no matter how much they are told they must keep their distance, and I\u2019m too old to run the risk.\u201d<\/p>\n