The reopening in the capital of Cuba leaves out bars, discos and parties

[El Presidente]

DDC

Havana 01 Oct 2020 

The reopening in the capital of Cuba leaves out bars, discos and parties

The Government authorizes access to beaches and swimming pools and will enable public transport next weekend with limits.

The Provincial Defense Council (CDP) of Havana decided to exclude some activities that imply an agglomeration of people in a process of reopening the Cuban capital after the harsh confinement to which it was subjected throughout the month of September.

According to the authorities that took part in the Round Table on Wednesday, among the new proposed actions, commercial activities, state and private services will be restored in the capital, using 50% of the capacities.

However, they have excepted bars, discos and parties, both public and private, which due to the concentration of people do not guarantee physical distancing.

To guarantee compliance with the exceptions, the provisions of Decree 14/2020, which covers the harsh fines of 2,000 and 3,000 pesos for violators of the anti- Covid-19 measures, will continue to apply .

The authorities have authorized access to beaches and state and private swimming pools, the latter using only 30% of the capacity.

For this, public transport will resume as of October 3, with 80% of the capacity utilization for people standing. The passenger transportation service offered by state cars at established stops will also be restored.

During his official Cuban television program speech, Dr. Carlos Alberto Martínez Blanco, Health Director in Havana, said that although the capital is "at a time with a tendency to control", the current situation in the city is still " of high epidemiological risk ".

He explained that there is a dispersion in infections, since more than 15 municipalities report confirmed cases, which shows viral circulation. Furthermore, there is a high incidence of asymptomatic patients.

"You have to take into account that Havana is a single municipality, you only need to cross a street to go from one to the other. People, to go to a workplace, sometimes have to travel through two and three municipalities, so that the risk is greater. Therefore, we cannot trust ourselves, "he insisted.

Six active events are open in the city, three institutional and three community (in the municipalities of Regla, Diez de Octubre (2), Centro Habana, Cerro and La Habana Vieja). In parallel, 2,943 patients remain admitted, 2,350 of them in isolation centers and 282 active cases in hospitals.