Cuba to Launch New Measures to Curb Surge in Coronavirus Cas

[NewsReporter]

VOA - World News

FILE - A cyclist wears a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic in Havana, Cuba, Aug. 10, 2020.

Cuban officials say the capital, Havana, is set begin a new ban on the movement of people and vehicles as part of an effort to slow a new surge in coronavirus cases.
 
Havana Governor Reinaldo García Zapata said Thursday a 7pm to 5am curfew will begin Tuesday.   
 
Zapata also announced a ban on travel from the Cuban capital to other provinces.    
 
He said, the government will reassess the impact of the new measures after 15 days.
 
Cuba had mostly contained its COVID 19 outbreak by isolating patients and conducting rigorous contact tracing.  
 
It had eased lockdown restrictions by the end of June but tightened them again six weeks later after cases jumped again. It continued to allow domestic tourism as long as would-be vacationers took a coronavirus test before traveling.
 
A Cuban biologist said Havana recorded 269 coronavirus cases last week, the highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic five months ago.  
 
So far, Cuba has confirmed slightly more than 3,800 infections and 92 deaths.