From Thursday, August 12, the mobility of citizens in Las Tunas, and especially in its capital, will be further limited to cut the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, which currently registers the highest levels since the start of the pandemic.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- The Temporary Working Group for the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19, in its daily meeting, specified that from that day on the control of the circulation of both private vehicles and walking people will be much stricter. Although he said, a specific timetable will not be established to restrict the presence of the population on the streets, the review of vehicles and individuals will be expanded to prove the need for their mobility outside their homes.

For this, he specified, the control points will be reestablished at the accesses to all the municipalities of Las Tunas, both in fixed sites and through occasional reviews by the inspection groups in areas of roads and streets within cities and towns.

The management body clarified that the transfer of loads will continue to be allowed and that of essential workers linked to production and services. However, he added, other non-vital trips of entities or companies from or to the municipalities will be restricted.

Besides, the closure of commercial establishments will continue from 12:00 noon. However, the Temporary Group emphasized that respecting these hours cannot affect the sale of urgent medicines or food, especially those perishable, for example, agricultural, dairy, or meat products.

"We need the understanding of the citizens so that they do not leave their homes unnecessarily," Manuel René Pérez Gallego, first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in the province, said. Explaining the need for these measures, the also member of the PCC Central Committee called for strengthening the services and food offers, mainly on Saturdays and Sundays so that the workers who must remain in their positions during the rest of the week can purchase their food or other necessities.

The deployment of representatives of the different inspection bodies in the areas where the transmission of the new coronavirus is more severe was indicated, to ensure that the limitation of citizens’ mobility is met.

In the next few hours, the Temporary Group concluded, other actions will follow to strengthen the functioning of the Las Tunas Health System, through the presence of the sector managers at the provincial level, as well as partisan cadres, in each of the health areas to face and solve on the ground each one of the problems that arise.

Daily contacts will also be held at the Dr. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna hospital between the highest management of the province and the companies and institutions responsible for the logistical assurance of all healthcare institutions in the territory.

Only last Sunday, 240 new positives to SARS-CoV-2 were notified in Las Tunas, of which 211 correspond to the capital municipality. The province has an incidence rate of 774.1 cases per 100 thousand of its inhabitants, but this indicator exceeds two thousand in some health areas of the provincial head. Meanwhile, more than 900 people remained admitted; so far in August, COVID-19 that occurred in July (12) has almost equaled, the highest figure for a month.