Santiago de Cuba Declares Two Municipalities Under Quarantine

Firemen disinfect an area of Marimón in Santiago de Cuba last week.

14ymedio bigger14ymedio Havana, April 20, 2020 – Two municipalities in Santiago de Cuba, Marimón (Agüero Mar Verde) and Cuabitas (Boniato), are under quarantine starting this Sunday for the next 14 days.

Entering and exiting these towns is limited to residents and essential personnel for the operation of commerce and other essential services, who will work only between 7:00am and 7:00pm. In addition, the movement of residents is restricted between 8:00pm and 7:00am, who can only leave for medical reasons or force majeure.

There will be access control points for these communities, as well as a sanitary containment point for those entering or leaving.

As reported by the Cuban News Agency, the president of the Municipal Defense Council in Santiago de Cuba, Niurka Bell, assured that the products of the basic food basket in the ration stores were transported to avoid the movement of people.

Yanelis Hechavarría, president of the Municipal Assembly of the People’s Power of Santiago, indicated that Acopio has prepared food modules that must be purchased by a single person per family unit, with the exception of those who are in the most vulnerable groups, who must receive the aid organized by the community for those who live alone or need such assistance.

Hechavarría added that resources have been guaranteed for the Family Care System, which sells inexpensive food to these vulnerable groups.

Santiago de Cuba had, as of this Sunday, 405 patients hospitalized with coronavirus and 473 under isolation. Guillermo Mora García, provincial director of Health, insisted on the danger of contagion implied by the number of asymptomatic positives and called for continuing to do rapid tests to isolate the chains of contagion and contain the spread of the virus.

Translated by Wilfredo Díaz Echevarria

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