Guantanamo, Cuba Amid the Effort to Control Covid-19
Photo Feature By Reynaldo La O
HAVANA TIMES – A new pandemic plagues humanity and its rapid spread causes a complete turnaround on the planet, affecting the economic, political and social activities of each nation.
In just over three months of its appearance, Covid-19 has killed more than 50 thousand people worldwide and the number of infections is increasing considerably, a battle which so far, the virus remains the winner.
In Cuba, there were 233 confirmed positive cases by Thursday, which are attended in the hospital isolation centers, in addition to their contacts. Currently, the country’s Ministry of Health works to control the disease and prevent its spread. Staying at home is considered the best option.
However, a fair amount of Cubans do not abide by these recommendations and thus put their lives and those of those around them at risk.
In Guantanamo, for example, crowds continue to occupy the streets in search of food and hygiene products, while others search for items not so necessary in current times of epidemic contingency.
The incorrect use of face masks prevails. Pregnant women and the elderly can be seen amid crowds, when the right thing is for them to stay at home because they are the ones with the highest risk.
However, the government has not offered an alternative for people to have enough food and household and personal hygiene products so that they do not have to continually go looking for them and waiting in long lines when something appears for sale. The same is true for medicines in the poorly stocked pharmacies.
The authorities and the government media ask for discipline, but they don’t present alternatives.
These are some examples of what is being seen on the streets of Guantanamo.
(Click on an image to display the gallery.)
Cuba could do naught to change the medical facilities in New York. It doesn’t have the financial capability and in addition has massive problems within the island having promoted tourism as recently as February. Better to consider its own problems, grandiose gestures won’t resolve those.
Now is the perfect opportunity for America to lift the trade embargo with Cuba and in turn accept medical assistance from Cuba to help/assist the overstretched medical facilities that now prevail in New York. Think of the lives of your people Mr Trump and move forward together. This would be a great step forward in Humanity and certainly Diplomacy!