A state taxi employee collects money from passengers before its departure, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease
HAVANA, July 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Cuban capital stirred to life after more than three months of lockdown but there were no signs of tourists on Havana’s quiet streets while residents fretted over shortages of food and other basic goods.
The city of 2.2 million people on the Caribbean coast is the last of Cuba’s provinces to enter phase one of a three phase process to a new normal. All but one other province began phase two on Friday.
Havana’s residents were able once again to use public transportation and private taxis, go to the beach and other outdoor recreation centers, and enjoy the city’s famed Malecon seafront drive.
Cuba closed its airports in March and, while some hotels are open at resorts on isolated islets, there is no indication when Havana and other cities might allow foreign visitors to return.
“It is like breathing little by little the clean air we have missed,” said veterinarian Norma Hernandez, who rents a room to tourists to make ends meet. “From the economic point of view the pandemic has been terrible for me, but I hope everything will return to normal.”
For months, the once bustling capital seemed haunted with little traffic and no night life. Gloomy residents trudged in search of supplies, often waiting for hours to purchase them.
Now they can dine out and have drinks, although social distancing and wearing masks remain mandatory. Optional medical and other services resumed.
Only a handful of COVID-19 cases have been reported this month, all but a few contacts of previously confirmed cases in Havana. Most of the island, home to 11.2 million inhabitants, has been free of the disease for more than a month.
Each phase of the reopening allows capacity at venues to increase from an initial 50 per cent. Interprovincial transport begins during phase two, while schools open in September.
“There is no contradiction between public health and opening the economy. You can’t accomplish the second without the first,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel said recently. — NNN-AGENCIES
