Díaz-Canel exchanges with eastern Cuban authorities

CAMAGÜEY, Cuba, Feb 1 (ACN) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz held a meeting today with the highest municipal and provincial authorities of the province of Camagüey about the local epidemiological situation and other issues of economic and social relevance.

The actions against fresh COVID-19 outbreaks in this city, now at the stage of limited autochthonous transmission, as well as the implementation of Task Ordering, food production and the fight against hoarders and resellers are at the top of their agenda.

Provincial Defense Council (CDP) vice president Yoseily Góngora López said that there are 137 active outbreaks in seven of the 13 municipalities, and reported problems ranging from the poor quality of the screening process to the non-fulfillment of the travelers' protocols, delays in PCR results, and the failure to comply with regulations regarding the use of masks and physical distancing, all of which paved the way for the rise in the number of infected people.

Deputy Prime Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda recommended increasing promotion and education actions so that people assumes responsibility for the new way of life, called for more screening in active workplaces and schools, and stressed the need to improve the readiness of either positive or negative PCR test results within 24 hours.

President Díaz-Canel said in turn that even if Camaguey is not among the most affected provinces, the local authorities must improve the system to tackle COVID19.

This is the thirteenth provincial meeting of the Cuban government with local leaders since the first one in Havana on January 18 to discuss ways of making progress despite the Island’s difficult situation, marked by COVID-19 outbreaks, the launching of Task Ordering—which includes the elimination of the dual currency and exchange rate systems and a wage reform—to streamline the Cuban economy, and the increased emphasis on food production to reduce costly imports, all in the midst of the intensification of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade.