Cubans Stranded in Nicaragua Fear Covid-19, Ask Embassy for Help

To organize a flight so they can return to their country

By Lidia Lopez B.  (La Prensa)

HAVANA TIMES – More than 90 Cubans stranded in Nicaragua asked their country’s consulate in Managua to arrange a flight to return them to their country, since they no longer have financial resources and fear they will catch the Covid-19 due to the mismanagement of the pandemic from the Daniel Ortega regime.

A group of Cubans appeared this Friday morning at the Cuban Embassy, located in Las Colinas, to present the limitations they have suffered since the beginning of April, when they had scheduled their return flights but which were canceled to contain the spread of the virus. The Police arrived and were collecting data from the islanders.

Those present said that the stranded people came as tourists in March, mainly to make purchases for resale on the island, are now without money, without food and without accommodation.

“The request we are making is a flight to Cuba. We have been working on that since April 6 but they have not given us an answer yet. They say that they are in the process with the airlines but we are stranded here”, declared a man, who omitted his name for fear of reprisals.

“We came shopping but I didn’t know that I would be stranded in this pandemic. My return flight was for April 14 and I want to go to my country. Right now we are not on the street because thank God some pastors picked us up but we no longer have any money, food or anything,” said another of those affected.

They say a flight is not profitable

Since Cubans had their flights canceled in April, they have been visiting the consulate seeking help to resolve their situation through a “humanitarian flight.” However, embassy officials have told them that the airlines do not have flights, and that Venezuela’s Conviasa Airlines explained that “it was not profitable” to schedule a flight that left with Cubans and returned without passengers.

At the end of March, La Prensa confirmed that Conviasa canceled its services until further notice and that only Cubans would be authorized to leave for Havana.

If there is no flight, how about some help

The Cubans stated that if for now there are no flights to return them to their country, the Embassy should help them provide them with providing a roof so they can remain safe while the pandemic passes.

“A roof, even if we don’t have beds, that has walls and where at least we are protected from the risk of the pandemic. For example, on the block where I’ve been staying there was a death and we are in fear, but if at least all of us (Cubans) were together, we could care for each other,” said another affected person.

The Cubans said they feel stressed by the pandemic situation in the country, as they believe that the health system is not capable of attending to the emergency. “It’s terrible, we are quite stressed with this situation because we are concerned about our health. We do trust Cuba’s health system, but we do not know how Nicaragua’s works,” said another citizen of the island.

“We know that in our country medicine and health is working one hundred percent, but here we don’t see anything one hundred percent. Such is why we want to return home, because in the midst of the pandemic, good health care is working there,” pointed out the woman who came to Nicaragua only for purchases.

Cubans with chronic diseases

Among the group of more than 90 Cubans are people with chronic diseases, such as asthma, who are helped by Nicaraguans who have shown solidarity with the difficult situation of the islanders. Those affected are scattered throughout Managua.

“We have met Nicaraguans who have helped us in whatever way they could and thanks to that we have survived,” said another affected person.