Havana Collected 9 Million Pesos in Fines in One Week for Anti-Covid Measures

The lines have not stopped growing in Havana despite the harsh restrictions that took effect on September 1. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 8 September 2020 — In just one week, the fines for breaching the new restrictions against the Covid-19 pandemic in Havana exceeded 9 million pesos.

The government of the capital registered 4,589 sanctions until September 7. In the first four days, the authorities imposed 1,824 fines of 2,000 pesos and 48 of 3,000, figures that doubled in the following days. The infractions for the incorrect use of the mask, the cause that registers the most sanctions, reached 1,757.

The local government added another infraction this Monday, with a fine of 2,000 pesos, to anyone who does not keep more than one meter away with other people in the lines.

The authorities justified their decision by the unstoppable increase in positive cases of the coronavirus and its dispersion, according to Orestes Llanes, coordinator of Inspection, Control and Hygiene of the government in the capital, who added that sanitary regulations continue to be violated.

14ymedio has been able to verify on several occasions that the lines continue to be frequent and long in Havana, even with the restrictions that came into effect on September 1. People go out to the streets to find what to eat in the face of food shortages, a situation that has been exacerbated by the controls established on the access roads to Havana, which do not allow supplying the privately run businesses and the informal market.

Havana lives under a curfew at night, and limitations on the mobility of people and vehicles during the day, among other measures, which were also brought into law by decree, at least until September 15. The authorities have already warned that they may extend longer if the health crisis is not contained.

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.