Cuba’s authorities plan to isolate foreign tourists from Cubans

Almost three months of complete trading, transport and mass events in combination with monitoring the health of the population and testing to coronavirus led to the actual elimination of COVID-19 in Cuba.

With the improvement of the Coronavirus situation in Cuba, the government plans to revive the local tourist industry by placing tourists in hotels in five small islands that will offer rest on the system "All inclusive" and keep foreigners isolated from the rest of the country. Start receiving tourists from the beginning of July, which should support the vital source of the island’s economy, without the risk of resuming the epidemic in the country with a population of 11 million people, where the number of new cases has decreased by just a few per day.

According to the authorities, tourists will fly to charter flights to the island or central Cuba, where tests for virus detection will be held. Those whose tests will be negative, go directly to their hotels or bus will be delivered from mainland Cuba to one of the small sandy islands, which are connected to the north coast of bridges or ferries.

Foreigners with positive tests will be "isolated", directed to quarantine or go home, although the details remain unclear.

Tourist buses heading for the resorts will be prohibited from making stops along the path, and police officers will be prescribed to each bus to ensure that this rule will be compliance. Visitors will not be allowed to rent cars and travel beyond the limits of fenced coastal resort areas.

Like other Caribbean Islands, Cuba strongly depends on tourism. He brought the state last year, according to official estimates of 4.1 billion USD, which is about 10 percent of the gross domestic product.

After several years of almost zero growth of the economy, the termination of international flights in March pushed Cuba to the most serious economic crisis over many years, which led long queues for the main products. The report of the Economic Commission on Latin America was predicted to reduce Cuba GDP this year by 3-5 percent after many years of stagnation when GDP growth rarely exceeded 1 percent.

Trade, transport and public spaces were closed almost completely within three months. These measures in combination with monitoring the state of health and testing for viruses practically eliminated COVID-19 in Cuba. Taking into account the fact that more than 2000 tests are held daily, the number of new cases of disease arising every day is now less than 10, and often less than 5.

A new model of tourism resembles the past practice. With the same Leader Fidel Castro Cubans, it was forbidden to enter tourist hotels in order to isolate the communist society from external influence. Even before Coronavirus, some coastal resort islands were not available for Cubans. The ban is now expanding to the greatest degree since Brother Castro Raul took the management and removed many restrictions.

Cuban hotel employees on the islands will comply with the seven-day working week, followed by seven days of home insulation. Varadero, the popular resort peninsula in less than two hours from Havana will be divided into a section for Cubans and a section for foreign tourists who will not be mixed with the general population as officials said.

New measures are part of the first stage of the three-stage plan to return Cuba to normal life. Cuba discovered the first signs of infection with a group of Italian tourists in the city of Trinidad in March. Now the quarantine is weakened throughout Cuba, with the exception of Havana, the capital with a population of 2 million people, where new cases of disease are concentrated.

Foreign hotel companies manageing most of the best hotels in Cuba, they say they hope that tourists will return to places like Havana in the near future. Cuba said that the third stage of reliance of restrictions tourism would resume, although the mandatory wearing of masks, social distance and tests for arriving travelers will continue.

As for Russian tourists, the prospects for the discovery of this visa-free destination are not clear. Before the Pandemic Cuba was a popular destination for Russians.