Cuban President Calls for Intensive Action against current COVID 19 Flare-up

Camaguey, Feb 1st (ACN) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called for intensive and rigorous action to deal with the local COVID 19 wave currently hitting the country as a consequence of disregarding sanitary protocols set up for international travelers.

The President and a high-level delegation visited eastern Camaguey province as part of a national working tour to consider along provincial authorities the actions against COVID 19 and the financial and monetary reordering process underway in the country.

Lowering the prevalence of the coronavirus disease in Camaguey and in the rest of the country requires on-time isolation of those persons who were in contact with confirmed cases and also the fast notification of COVID tests results, the president pointed out.

The Cuban head of state recalled that the current COVID 19 spread came after some people lowered the guard against the risk of getting infected and active search for new cases weakened; he noted that although Cuba counts on a robust health system with important scientific support, social or individual indiscipline hinders the success of the fight on the pandemic spread.

Camaguey’s provincial health director Reinaldo Pons reported that the local health system maintains availability of hospital beds, even after hundreds of citizens from this province and from bordering territories have been treated here.

The president alerted about some breaches of the performance of the local health system in Camaguey, neglect in meeting bio-security standards and other irregularities in medical facilities.

The eastern province shows a setback of its epidemiological indicators since January after reporting 156 confirmed COVID 19 cases over the past two weeks, some 137 coronavirus pockets in seven of its 13 municipalities, according to the Provincial Defense Council vice-president Yoseily Gongora.

The working session also addressed the financial and monetary reordering process underway in Cuba since January 1st, which dropped the long-standing dual currency, unnecessary subsidies, and increased the workers’ monthly salaries.

In January over 1 800 locals applied for new jobs, with 61 percent of them taking the offers at labor and social security offices. In this respect, Economy and Planning minister Alejandro Gil stressed that encouraging people to apply for jobs is a crucial aspect of the transformations. Gil called to keep an eye on all expenses, costs and imports, and work on efficient production.

Finally, the Cuban president elaborated on the need to increase food production in the face of restrictions imposed by the US economic, financial and commercial blockade of the island and the shortage of imported fertilizers; he also urged to empower local food production in the benefit of the local population.