New measures taken in eastern Cuba to tackle COVID-19’s spread

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Jan 5 (ACN) Government and health authorities in the province of Santiago de Cuba launched on Tuesday new restrictive measures in response to the spread of the Omicron strain of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, which has been detected in 12 Cuban provinces.

Dr. Raul Leyva, provincial director of Prosalud, announced a ban on any public event prone to crowding and the closing of night clubs, bars and restaurants without natural ventilation, as well as the suspension of the traditional food-and-drink festivities known as Noches Santiagueras (Santiago’s Evenings). Moreover, all swimming pools and the public and private transport system will work at 50% capacity and keep observing the health protocols in force.

“All basic foods and items will be sold in grocery stores, markets and workplaces, where there must be disinfectant and detersive substances available for hand, foot and surface hygiene,” he added. “Besides, the autochthonous cases and those coming from abroad will be admitted in health care units prepared to this end, and all contacts of the latter will go to isolation centers.”

Although the country has hospitalized all infected pregnant women, under-nine-year-olds and seniors over 65 with underlying conditions, all confirmed cases in the province will be sent to hospitals regardless of their risk level, he said, whereas any direct contact of a confirmed patient will be monitored for eight days at home or, if need be, in one of the aforesaid centers, as the health authorities speed up the administration of the booster dose of the vaccine Abdala, the first COVID-19 immunogen made in Latin America.

Deemed a cause for concern by the World Health Organization due to its high transmissibility, Omicron was first detected in South Africa in late November, and its presence has already been confirmed in around 110 countries.

Focused on the recovery of the economy, after two hard years of battle against the epidemic, the Cuban government reinforces all international sanitary control and urges its people to behave responsibly to avoid the pandemic peaks of previous months that strained the island's health system.