Main topics addressed at the press conference offered by Garcia Zapata, Governor of Havana, this October 20th, 2021 taking into account the gradual reduction in the number of cases confirmed to Covid’19 in the capital.

In the last 11 weeks there has been a gradual reduction in the number of cases confirmed to Covid-19.

There has been a gradual reduction in the number of cases suggestive of Covid -19 despite maintaining high level of screening in the general and vulnerable population (40%). There is a reduction in the number of suspected cases (antigen positive).

There is a reduction of severe and critical patients as well as deaths due to Covid-19.

Havana reaches 95.7% of its population vaccinated with the first dose scheme and 74% with the complete scheme.

A total of 5249636 vaccines have been administrated in the capital. By November 15th, 100% of the population should be vaccinated.

School year insurance

October 4th: grade and years: 12th grade and third and fourth year of the Teacher´s Training School and third year of Technical ad professional education.

November 8th: First and second year of Technical and professional education and tenth and eleventh grade of Teacher´s Training Schools.

November 15th: All other Elementary School students (124 532).

There are 1206 educational institutions and a general student enrollment of 246 919 students and 22 044 teachers.

For a proper restart of the school year is guaranteed:

97% of the educational facilities have been certified by the MINSAP which will allow the strict compliance with the hygienic-sanitary measures.

Optimal use of premises and conditions for the proper development of the educational teaching process. 

The facilities that were used as isolation centers for Covid-19 have been properly sanitized.

Twelfth grade students will attend school every day of the week.

Tenth and eleventh grade students will attend to school every other day, if the trend of the decrease of cases continues, they will attend to school every day of the week.

The material basis for study and life is guaranteed at all levels.

Transportation

As it is known on November 15th the international borders open and it was proposed before that date:

To reestablish the interprovincial transportation eliminating also the permits to circulate.

To reestablish the national circulation of private carriers.

To reestablish the interprovincial embarkation points.

Reestablish national train services and short and medium distance trains.

The maritime service to Isla de la Juventud is reopened.

The mobility restriction schedule was eliminated and routes are resumed according to their usual schedule.

Sanitary protocols are maintained on board the means of transport and in passenger’s terminals and stations: obligatory use of face masks, hand disinfection with chlorinated water solution or hydro alcoholic based- gel, disinfection of means and facilities, footsteps at the accesses, physical separation of passengers and limitation of the use of capacities of means and facilities.

Reinstatement of transport operating license procedures.

It is proposed to implement in all the territories, measures of staggered schedules of entry to work and study centers to mitigate the existing limitations in terms of capacity orders.

Culture

Libraries, bookstores, museums and galleries will resume their services to the population in their usual schedules, always keeping the hygienic and sanitary measures and limiting the number of visitors to 50%.

Services in stores and points of sale of cultural goods of ARTEX, EGREEN, CFBC and Casa de las Ámericas net will be reestablished.

Reestablishment of rehearsals of theater, musical and dance groups.

Reestablishment of the programming and operation of the Casas de la Cultura, theaters and cinemas, keeping the measures of physical distancing and epidemiological control.  

The theater´s programming will begin in a staggered manner using small format plays or other variants that might not require greater physical contact between artists.

Reestablishment of the operation of cultural centers and Casas de la Música keeping a limited capacity.

Gastronomic Services

A protocol was defined for the provision of the services in compliance with sanitary standards for food processing and handling.

All restaurants and Coppelia services are provided through reservations.

Al gastronomic services are opened with a table service as well as the cafeterias.

Cabarets are opened with a capacity that correspond with the seating capacities.

The Social Circles will provide services in all the areas.

The capacity of restaurants is in correspondence with the capacity, maintaining a two-meter-distance between customers.

Home delivery and take-away services are maintained.

MSMES

The creation process of MSMEs, led by the MEP, approved 162 MSMEs in the country,87 of them in Havana (4state-owned and 83 private) which represents a 54% of the total.

So far more than 300 applications have been made in the province, which are in the process of approval.

As a new economic actor

 Food production and marketing 12

Production of construction materials 5

Computer programming and e-commerce services 8

Equipment repair, maintenance and cleaning services 12

Specialized technical services 12

Passenger and freight transportation 3

Miscellaneous production 16 mainly associated with the light industry, such as the production of furniture, footwear, plastics, soaps, detergents, hardware and others.

Other 10 associated with recycling, equipment rental, graphic arts, theme parks and events organization and home deliveries.

We consider the event with favorable results.

Havana neighborhoods 

 Multidisciplinary work groups are created in the 15 municipalities, represented by the ministries and the OSDE, the Party and the provincial government cadres and mass organizations.

To undertake this actions, the linking of work centers to concrete tasks in the community and the participation of non-state sector were organized.

Exchanges were carried out with the Community Working Groups in the neighborhoods.

Meetings were held in the neighborhoods with the presidents of the CDRs and the secretaries of the FMC.

65 Social Prevention Groups formed by the People´s Councils and the districts have been created, with the participation of 322 Social Workers and 65 Student Brigades confirmed by 409 young people.

A working system was implemented that includes exchanges with the municipal groups, visits to the different neighborhoods to follow up and control the work and promote exchanges between the authorities, the workers and the population living in those neighborhoods.

Two working groups were created, one for the attention of the social actions and the other group that guarantees the material assurances for the transformations in the constructive and structural sphere.

As a result of the exchanges carried out in the neighborhoods,8112 actions were identified, essentially of a constructive nature, which were considered necessary to achieve an impact on the transformation of these, while those of a social nature increased.

By the end of the work week, 26 143 actions had been implemented, including:

Delivery of the Food Card 10 396

Housing Legalization 3272

Attention to mothers with three or more children: 979

Attention to vulnerable people:4193

Job placement offers: 2007

Offers to young people to continue their studies:2342

Delivery of Resources: 2555 family nuclei (cribs, mattresses, bunk beds, sheets, shoes, clothes, linen and cooking modules, etc.).

Other activities such as blood donations, volunteering work, parks reanimation, cultural activities, book fairs, community projects and cultural activities.

502nd anniversary of Havana

Opening of the Biennale of Havana: November 12th until April 2022.

Presentation of concert bands with repertoire dedicated to Havana in their usual spaces in parks and squares of the city: November 16th -10.00a.m.

November 15th: Special dinners in salute of Havana´s 502nd anniversary in restaurants offering table service accompanied by small-format artistic talent.

November 13th and 14th: activities dedicated to children in cultural facilities and communities. Artistic Brigades are organized for the latter, bringing together young art instructors, members of the Hermanos Saíz Association, a community project led by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba(UNEAC), and musicians from our companies.

Day of activities from November 15th

Day in neighborhoods, squares and parks.

Activation of all the stadiums in the communities for the development of baseball games, celebrating the Declaration of Intangible Heritage of Humanity, on November 19th,20th and 21st.

MARAHABANA Race, November 21st.

Staring at Ave de las Misiones and finishing at the Sports City.

Street Plans in the neighborhoods on November 15th.

Have fun on the Malecón, on Saturdays from October 23rd and during the month of November from 4:00p.m. to midnight.

In Havana´s Great Parks and recreational facilities, varied recreational program dedicated to the 502nd anniversary is planned from November 1st to 16th.

Act of recognition of the Provincial Government to people who stood in the last two years in the capital: Monday, November 15th at 10:00a.m.

Lighting of the lights of Galeano Street: Monday, November 15th at9:00p.m.

Anniversary ceremony at the foundational site of Villa San Cristóbal de la Habana: Monday, November 15th at 12:00p.m. at the Templete.

Artistic Gala for the 502nd anniversary of the city. Tuesday, November 16th, 6:00p.m. at Karl Marx Theater.

There is a general plan that involves all the agencies of the Central State Administration and Provincial Directorates to reach this moment with a more beautiful, hygienic and organized city, with service offers, the rescue of Havana´s nightlife, economic and social revival.

Taken from Tribuna de la Habana