But Capital City Dark, Empty!!
Cuba's vibrant Institute of Radio and Television {ICRT} has virtually closed because of a new outbreak of positive cases of COVID-19 in Havana. When 1,294 reporters, editors, newscasters, operators, and service personnel were tested, 23 proved to be positive. Then ICRT's Vice President Guillermo Pavon Pachaco announced some operations with closed and others were transferred to other sites.
Cuba's 14 provinces, all except for Havana, remain in control of the pandemic and opened schools this week. But in the capital city cases have surged from a handful a day to dozens daily over the last month, even raising the overall total deaths {"fallecidos"} on the island to 100 as shown above. Thus, stringent measures have shut down Havana at least until September 15th when the situation will be reviewed. Concerned that people in Havana have not been following COVID protocols and also detecting that some residents have left the city and spread the virus to other provinces, Havana is under a strict curfew. London's The Guardian has released photos showing how empty and dark the streets of Havana are this week with police patrols monitoring the curfew, as depicted below.
But while Havana's streets remain dark and empty, the rest of the island has schools open and is ready to welcome tourists.
On his Twitter page, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel posted this photo and wrote: "Jardines del Rey is ready to receive the first post-COVID flight of Air Canada." In fact, Air Canada on Friday, September 4th, flew Canadian tourists to Cuba's popular Cayo Coco resort.
As President Diaz-Canel's Tweet alerted Cubans, this is the Air Canada plane that landed at the Jardines del Rey Airport this weekend. Trying to recover from COVID-19 and trying even harder to survive the excruciatingly cruel Trump/Little Havana blockade, Cuba welcomes nations that have the courage and decency to defy the blockade. Canada's bravery and independence shows its respect for everyday Cubans.
This is one of the three 5-star Gaviota Hotels on Cayo Coco that was ready to receive the Air Canada passengers this weekend.
This is a pristine beach at Cayo Coco that Canadian tourists verily love and are experiencing AGAIN this weekend. It reflects, except for Havana, that Cuba has had much success in containing COVID-19. It also reflects Canada's feisty independence because many nations, of course, are influenced by the Trump administration's vicious economic Blockade of the Caribbean's largest and most beautiful island.
The five cays off the north-central Cuban coast, such as Jardines del Rey and Cayo Coco, are popular destinations for Canadian tourists, which are flying to them in September.
The red marker on the above map pinpoints the location of Jardines del Rey.
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