{"id":228818,"date":"2020-10-11T11:53:26","date_gmt":"2020-10-11T15:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=228818"},"modified":"2020-10-11T13:16:51","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T17:16:51","slug":"havana-covid-19-and-the-new-normal-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/havana-covid-19-and-the-new-normal-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Havana, COVID-19 and the \u201cnew normal\u201d (I)"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a week now, <\/span>Havana<\/span><\/a> has been living its \u201cnew normal.\u201d After being the epicenter of COVID-19 in Cuba for months, and experiencing an outbreak in August and September that forced the imposition of harsh restrictions, the Cuban capital began October with a <\/span>de-escalation<\/span><\/a> that seeks, according to its government, \u201cto reactivate production and services,\u201d and thus boost the economy, mired in the quagmire of the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

When reporting on this change on September 30, the Havana authorities <\/span>affirmed<\/span><\/a> that the measures applied until that moment\u2015among them, a night curfew and a substantial limitation of the socioeconomic life of the city\u2015had had a \u201cpositive impact\u201d and that the statistics on the disease in Havana\u2015new cases, active cases, deaths, and open transmission events in recent weeks\u2015showed \u201ca trend towards epidemiological stability.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, they explained that the risk in the capital was still high, so the reopening would be partial. For this reason, along with the lifting of prohibitions and the reactivation of a group of activities, several restrictive measures would remain in force\u2015such as the prohibition of interprovincial transportation to and from Havana\u2015and mandatory sanitary provisions, both for people and private businesses, state enterprises and institutions. In addition, the high fines applied to those who violate these measures would be maintained, one of the aspects that has caused the most controversy during confinement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Influx of people on Calle Obispo, after the relaxation of restrictions due to COVID-19 in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodr\u00edguez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several days later, there seems to be a majority popular acceptance of the de-escalation. The streets are bustling with life\u2015although, to be fair, there was never a lack of daily traffic of people and the lines grew to monumental dimensions; buses, private taxis and other means of public transportation <\/span>are again circulating<\/span><\/a>; people have returned to beaches, parks, and family outings; more restaurants, cafes and other services have reopened or are preparing to do so; children and young people break the confinement of recent months; and schools begin to prepare for the restart of classes.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, although the \u201ceasing\u201d of the restrictions was longed for by many, its announcement did not cease to surprise and worry a part of the population, which has seen the city go from a considerable closure\u2015at least, in theory\u2015to a broad reopening, in which self-responsibility has gained greater prominence both in practice and in government discourse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am worried that there will be another outbreak,\u201d Elisa, who this weekend went out with her husband and son to \u201ctake a walk\u201d through the city after weeks without being able to do so, said to <\/span>OnCuba<\/b>. \u201cWe decided to go out because the truth is that we needed it, and because it is not known how long this can last,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe previous time, when we entered phase 1, after a month we had to go back, because the cases started to increase again and the city became more complicated, even more than before, and now the same could happen. How can people be controlled after so long?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Children play ball wearing masks in the Parque de la Fraternidad, in Havana, after the relaxation of the restrictions due to COVID-19 in the city. Photo: Otmaro Rodr\u00edguez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI understand the government because we couldn\u2019t continue as we were,\u201d says Juan Carlos, Elisa\u2019s husband. \u201cNo country in the world has spent the entire pandemic locked up, not even the wealthiest. There\u2019s no economy that can stand that, and it also goes for people. The thing is that Cubans, and especially Havanans, are not easy. If even in the midst of the restrictions there were those who continued to have parties, made lines at dawn, and thousands of fines were imposed, I believe that now it could be more difficult to control the situation if the government and the police don\u2019t follow up on the people.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I didn’t expect that much,\u201d admits Rosa, a retired teacher on her way to her usual purchases in her area of \u200b\u200bthe Cerro municipality, \u201cbut I\u2019m still happy because I\u2019ll be able to see my grandchildren again after all this time. Imagine what joy. I also thought that they would only remove the measures they put in place in September, but if they opened more it\u2019s because the government believes it\u2019s possible now. In addition, people have to understand that they have to do their part and the doctors and the authorities aren\u2019t the only ones that must do their part. In the end, what is at stake is our own health and that of our family.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Normality with mask and limited autochthonous transmission<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea of \u200b\u200ba \u201cnew normal\u201d caused by <\/span>COVID-19<\/span><\/a>, which involves forced coexistence with the disease and the use of masks and other sanitary regulations to control its spread, is not, in reality, new. It has been handled by experts and international authorities almost since the beginning of the pandemic, when it was understood that the battle against the disease would last months or perhaps years, and that even with effective treatments and even with a vaccine that manages to generate immunity, the coronavirus had arrived to disrupt the daily life and perspectives of the entire planet. At least for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The possibility of waves of COVID-19 that would alternate with periods of control, of cyclical closings and reopenings in which the restrictions would be extreme or relaxed according to the prevailing epidemiological situation, did not take long to be demonstrated in practice. This has happened in many countries and also in Cuba. After a first peak in April and a progressive decrease in cases in the following months, the island had to face\u2015and still faces\u2015an outbreak since the end of July that first expanded in the western part of the country and now has the central region as its most complicated scenario. And in it, Havana has been the undisputed protagonist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This motivated that, after reversing the de-escalation in the capital, just a little more than a month after its start, the authorities <\/span>tightened the screws even more<\/span><\/a> given the growing spread of the coronavirus throughout Havana, and maintained throughout September the strictest measures of all that have been applied in the city of Havana during the pandemic. Among them, a greater restriction of the mobility of vehicles and people, the prohibition of movement at night, the limitation of purchases only in the municipality of residence of the people, the closure of productive activities and non-essential services, and a reinforcement of health surveillance.<\/span><\/p>\n

COVID-19 in Cuba: six months of epidemic<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n