CubaPLUS Magazine

Cuba begins the first stage of the postcovid-19 recovery this Thursday, June 18, in most of the country, except for the provinces of Havana and Matanzas, although President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the population to maintain a responsible behavior. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero made the announcement at the meeting of the temporary work group for the prevention and control of the new coronavirus, which meets daily and, he specified, that the measures reported by the Cuban government in the Round Table television program last June 11, are effective today.

A note from the Council of Ministers indicates that the beginning of this stage, as well as the declaration of each of its three phases, will be subject to compliance with health indicators, which allow evaluating the development of the epidemic in each territory. In this sense, it indicates: Incidence rate, Reproductive index, Active cases, Number of positive cases with a known source of infection in the last 15 days, and Local transmission events. The current epicenter and tail of the epidemic is in Havana, and although Matanzas has been evolving favorably, it still does not meet some of these indicators, notes the note. In the course of the week, he adds, the ministers will continue to inform the population in detail of the different measures approved, which will be published in a tabloid in the next few days. Commenting on these steps, the Head of State stressed the importance of maintaining physical isolation at all times, which is not a whim, he said, "but one of the most effective and best-helping ways to keep us from transmitting the disease." In accordance with the measures previously announced, the use of the mask is mandatory in the initial recovery phase, while in the second phase it should only be used in public places where there is a concentration of people. In the first phase, restrictions on entering and leaving the country are maintained, and urban, inter-municipal and rural public transport, both state and private, are restored with limitations, but not the regular routes between provinces, which will be restored in the second phase.