On 16JUL, the government of Cuba issued a statement about COVID rates, vaccines and protocols in the country as well as recent reports of political unrest, intended to reassure Canadians about their health and safety while travelling in the communist island nation.
Here is the statement in full:
"Cuba moves forward with the vaccination process against Covid, strengthens its health and safety protocols and ratifies that foreign visitors will continue to enjoy peace and safety.
On Sunday, July 11, in certain parts of Cuba some disturbances and incidents took place. These were the result of an opportunistic plan designed from the outside, at a time when the country is working hard to overcome the impact of the pandemic, despite the unprecedented tightening of the economic blockade imposed by the U.S. government against the Cuban people.
The incidents were stimulated and accompanied by a fierce campaign that was articulated mainly through social networks, with the purpose of discrediting and distorting the Cuban reality with fake news and manipulated images.
Cuba is fighting hard against the COVID-19 pandemic and, despite the recent outbreak, has achieved a case fatality rate of 0.65 per cent, one of the lowest in the world. It already has its own vaccine, ABDALA, the first developed in Latin America, as well as four other vaccine candidates with high efficacy rates. The first clinical trial has begun for the pediatric population with the vaccine candidate SOBERANA 02.
At the present moment, more than 8 million doses have been administered, including tourism workers who have already been vaccinated in Havana and Varadero, and the second dose is being applied in Jardines del Rey.
To continue guaranteeing the health and safety of visitors and workers, the protocols established by the country have been strengthened in all facilities and services of the tourism sector.
All the institutions continue to function normally even under pandemic conditions.
We ratify that all tourists, including Canadian citizens who are in Cuba, enjoy total security and safety, and enjoy their vacations on our beautiful beaches.
Cuba will continue to be a tourist destination of peace, health, and safety."
