Last Updated on March 19, 2020, 2:09 AM AST by Anthony Morris
On Wednesday, the Cuban Government confirmed the first death from the coronavirus on the island. The first death due to the virus was of a 61-year-old Italian tourist who was in critical condition.
The Ministry of Health, in a statement, said that a 77-year-old American had contracted the coronavirus as well.
The Ministry said the Italian tourist, belonged to the Lombardy region in northern Italy.
The reason for this is said to be the complications of his illness.
It has also been confirmed by the authorities that there are three new cases of COVID-19 in Cuba.
Two out of these three patients are Cubans, and one is an American who had come to Cuba from Californian March 8.
The Ministry’s statement said that the American man began showing symptoms a week of his arrival in Cuba. At that time, he was staying in Trinidad, which is a city in the centre of Cuba.
After he showed symptoms of the virus, he was admitted to a hospital in nearby Villa Clara, and that his condition is improving at a satisfactory pace.
The Cuban authorities had said previously that 13 travellers from the United States had been kept under medical observation.
The other two cases of the virus, are a 67-year-old Cuban woman who arrived in Cuba from New Jersey on March 11 and a 25-year-old Cuban man who had returned to the country on March 8 from Madrid. Both the patients live in the city of Santa Clara.
The number of total confirmed cases in Cuba rose to ten after these three new cases were detected.
The Government of Cuba has said that it is screening the travellers and has also cancelled some art and music shows and sporting events to avoid the gathering of crowds.
Still, more strict measures, as seen in other countries of the Caribbean, have not been implemented.
The public places and schools are still open. In addition to this, no travel restrictions have been announced by the Government. However, the Government has been facing a lot of criticism from the public for not adopting these measures and not issuing a travel advisory.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
