{"id":233607,"date":"2021-01-24T07:55:14","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T12:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=233607"},"modified":"2021-01-24T07:55:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-24T12:55:14","slug":"havana-between-coronavirus-and-monetary-reorganization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/havana-between-coronavirus-and-monetary-reorganization\/","title":{"rendered":"Havana, between coronavirus and monetary reorganization"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, while much of the world was paying attention to the inauguration of Joe Biden and his first actions as president of the United States, thousands of Havanans continued with their usual routines, or, at least, with those imposed in recent months due to the <\/span>COVID-19<\/span><\/a> pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

The outbreak of recent weeks has put the entire island in check and, in particular, <\/span>the capital<\/span><\/a>, which reports more than a hundred infections daily\u2015and up to more than 200, as happened <\/span>at the end of this Thursday<\/span><\/a>\u2015and had to established new measures and strengthen the existing ones after it regressed to the autochthonous transmission phase of the disease. The incidence rate of positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 15 days has not stopped growing and this Friday stood at 92.36, one of the highest in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faced with this scenario, schools were closed and classes returned to television, recreational, religious and cultural institutions were closed, parties in houses and public spaces were suspended, while restaurants and cafeterias can only provide home-delivery service or to carry out. In addition, interprovincial passenger transportation was suspended and the urban one stopped working at 9:00 p.m., while since two hours before this time it\u2019s forbidden to be in parks and other places, including the city\u2019s popular Malec\u00f3n seaside promenade.<\/span><\/p>\n

These and other restrictions <\/span>were announced<\/span><\/a> by the Havana authorities, which in turn reinforced the application of fines and other sanctions for non-compliance with the provisions, and called\u2015once again\u2015for the conscience and discipline of people to contain the spread of the coronavirus.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, several days after these measures, Havana looks almost the same as before, except, perhaps, for the disappearance of the school uniforms from the landscape\u2015although <\/span>some 90 schools remain open<\/span><\/a> to favor working mothers who have no one to leave their children\u2015and the closure of some, not many, places and public institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The continuous hustle and bustle in the streets continues, the already endemic lines in stores, the bus stops not exactly empty and the urban buses not infrequently with more passengers than they should. You can even see children playing during teleclass hours, tourists walking through the historic center, people in parks and other places much closer than the recommended distance, or with the masks on the chin or below the nose. And more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"People
People on the street, during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Havana, in January 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodr\u00edguez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe thing is that life has to go on,\u201d justifies Alexander, who slowly drives his pedicab through Old Havana, hunting for clients, \u201cCuban or foreign, I don\u2019t care whoever. We\u2019ve already been in a pandemic for almost a year and no one can stand it, neither can one\u2019s pocket, and less now with the <\/span>reorganization<\/span><\/a>, which has made us tighten our belts even more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems to me they should have waited a bit for this to happen and people could get ahead,\u201d he says before pedaling away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe monetary reorganization should have already started, it\u2019s been delayed a long time,\u201d says Gisela, back from her own hunt for \u201cwhatever appears,\u201d although, \u201calways taking care of myself, because the situation is very difficult. The problem is that the economy has reached rock bottom and the startup is being tough. And I can confirm this, my pension disappeared right away. And COVID has made things more complicated.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now we are worse than ever, up to more than 500 cases and several deaths per day. A terrible thing. That\u2019s why the government has already had to start to back down on several things, to take stronger measures, but trying not to have to close completely like last year, because if that happens the economy can\u2019t stand it, it\u2019s going downhill,\u201d she ponders. \u201cBut if people don\u2019t do their part as well, there will be no choice but to close more and everything will get worse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Gisela, as for many Havanans, the authorities should be more energetic in the face of indiscipline and establish even more restrictions \u201cso that people understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now,\u201d she says, \u201cI see fewer police officers on the street than when there were fewer cases. They\u2019re not doing as many investigations and controls as at other times and that makes people relax. Also, why didn\u2019t they close at night, as they did in September? What need is there to walk down the street at that time in the middle of a pandemic, unless it is for work or an emergency? The other time, that had an impact on people, made them understand that this is not a game, and things got better.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n