Cuba Against The Coronavirus - With Solidarity, Unity & Serenity

Discussion in 'Taylor's Tittle-Tattle - General Banter' started by Clive_ofthe_Kremlin, Mar 24, 2020.

  1. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    Perhaps it might be interesting to hear how distant countries with very different social systems to our own are coping with the Coronavirus.

    So far, Cuba has 40 confirmed cases and 1 death (an elderly Italian tourist who was among the first three confirmed cases). All of the cases are amongst foreigners who have arrived from Spain, Italy, USA etc. or Cubans who have had contact with them. There is no evidence yet of transmission between people on the island. Over a 1000 people are quarantined in the 'campismo', which is like Cuban Butlins holiday camp. Anyone who has the slightest symptom or contact with a suspected case, must go immediately to their local polyclinic/family doctor. Very different from here.

    The borders were closed on Sunday and 32,000 tourists already on the island put in quarantine in their hotels until they can fly home. The great majority went yesterday.

    Cuba has closed schools and the salsa 'bailables' are being shown with the bands playing on TV instead. Although there's no ban yet, Cubans are urged not to go in the street unless essential. Social distancing is difficult for Cubans who are one of the most touchy feely people in the world. There is some feeling that people aren't taking it seriously enough. There have been plenty of videos online of packed fiestas de casa going on as normal. Some say that the Cubans are so used to facing deadly threats that not much shakes them up.

    As you'd expect, many countries are pleading for Cuban medical workers. Some of the countries have political philosophies very far from that of Cuba. However, Cuba shares what it has, not what it has left over. The Henry Reeve medical brigade, which dealt so effectively with the ebola outbreak in Africa, has answered Italy's plea with 140 healthcare professionals. 100 nurses have made the short journey to Jamaica. Large brigades are also working in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

    Although Cuba has an excellent health service and a very high rate of doctors and hospital beds, the blow from the loss of all tourism will be huge. I would ask readers to sign the change uk petition started by the 'Cubanos en el UK' group, which asks for the lifting of the USA economic blockade for the duration of this global pandemic.

    If the USA is unable to be a leader to the world in these times, the least it can do is not cause harm.
     
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  2. nornironhorn

    nornironhorn Administrator Staff Member


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48214513
     
  3. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player


    That's mainly ******** though. Cif's aunt, Mayra, is an internationalist and has worked in Belize and Venezuela. Nobody made her do it or forced her. She likes doing it. Both my in-laws are/were teachers and volunteered for Angola when Cuba was fighting there. Nobody made them volunteer either. Even Northern Ireland benefited from Cuban internationalists - they sent over boxing trainers to work with the poorest. Where's their interview? Why isn't the woman being interviewed complaining about the free medical training she got from the revolution? Why shouldn't some be paid back in service of the people?

    It's fascinating to see how something so obviously beneficial as having doctors, nurses, teachers and so on helping the poor in developing countries can be twisted by those opposed. Why doesn't Britain send a medical brigade to help the emergency in Italy?
     
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  4. nornironhorn

    nornironhorn Administrator Staff Member

    Obviously I can't answer any of these questions but I wanted to see your response to the article.
     
    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin likes this.
  5. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    I read it when it came out. The first thing that struck me was as part of Cuba's continued assistance with providing medical support somewhere in the world, some of them will end up in less desirable places than others. Obviously there would need to be handlers and translators etc, and quite possibly some of these 'officials' may be on a power trip. So for a number of people it won't be all rosy for various reasons.

    On a side note, I've said this a few times, all of the Cubans I know are great people and they are all supportive of the revolution. Whereas I know a number of Venezuelans who conversely hated Chavez and Maduro. As I'm married to a Peruvian I have a lot of Latino friends, I would not say a bad word about the majority of them. The Cubans I know seem to be the happiest and contented of the lot.
     
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  6. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    Yes, it's very annoying that they search really hard to find a malcontent and then air their views at length, with no balancing argument on the other side.

    I also know 'una pila' of cubanos in this country and of all those I've known, there was only 1 I can think of who was dead set against the revolution. Everyone else is supportive to a greater or lesser degree, or quite commonly "no está en na'" - doesn't get involved in politics.

    As you say, it's different with Venezuelans. Ciff went out for an Xmas dinner with her group of local Latinas and got in quite a big 'discussion' with a venezolana who wanted to tell her what Cuba was like, despite never having been there. She did apologise to her in the end, but Ciff was still indignant and brava when she got home!
     
  7. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    Confirmed cases now up to 67. Still only one death though.

    1,423 Cubans and 116 foreigners remain isolated under medical vigilance. 36,056 further citizens are being closely monitored by primary health care staff. 4,782,231 citizens have so far been examined for symptoms.


    Cuba is now collaborating medically with 51 other countries with regard to fighting the outbreak. So far there are no reports of any of infections amongst Cuban internationalist medics. Two further cadres of healthcare professionals received the national banner yesterday (Thursday) before departing, one to St Vincent and the Grenadines and the other to Antigua and Barbuda.

    Here's the brigade contingent receiving their banner before going to help the desperate situation in Jamaica. You can decide whether they look like they're being 'forced' as that silly BBC article implies.

     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2020
  8. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    Arrival in Jamaica. Here you can see how much their help, and that of the 300+ Cuban medics already working on the island is appreciated.



    Little Al Jazeera piece on the brigade to Italy.

    Interviewer: "Why are you going on this mission if you know Cuban doctors have died on past missions?"

    Cuban Doctor: "Because we are the Cuban people! This is Cuba! And we're always going to keep on struggling."

     
  9. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    So leasing their doctors and nurses to desperate nations has been Cuba's top hard currency earner.

    Fair enough, I hadn't realised it was so lucrative.
     
  10. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    How cynical. Cuba can't do right for doing wrong for some people. Why do right wingers always have to look for some slander or untruth to try to sully such work? Operation Miracle, which treated more than 3 million poor people from 36 different countries for cataracts for free was a bit of a struggle for them, but the answer they came up with eventually was propaganda. Yes, that's why they're doing it. Although they say they're doing it for solidarity with the poor of the world, in actual fact, it's just for propaganda. And the brigades that fought and defeated Ebola in Africa (more than any other nation or the international red cross), or those who camped up in the mountains to treat the victims of the Pakistan earthquake while rich western charities posed around the airport in their Toyota Landcruisers for the TV cameras and did next to nothing apart from appealing for more money.

    All propaganda probably. Or profit. Or the doctors are somehow being forced.

    @zztop - a serious question. Do you agree that the US ought to life the economic blockade on Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Nicaragua etc whilst this crisis for humanity exists?
     
  11. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    How is that being cynical? I was just repeating something that was in one of the propaganda videos that you linked to.

    Besides, I'm not knocking it. If Cuba has found something that they can actually export, apart from cigars, then they have to go for it and if the "buying" country thinks it is a price worth paying, then everyone's a winner.
     
  12. Ybotcoombes

    Ybotcoombes Justworkedouthowtochange

    I love Cuba , been there a few times , very poor, but very generous and no city in the world can compare to Havana
     
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  13. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    Alibaba chief, Jack Ma, decided to donate 2 million masks, 400,000 test kits and 104 ventilators to 24 poor South American and Caribbean nations in order to fight the virus.

    Shipment cancelled at the 'last minute' as shipping company noted Cuba included in recipients and were warned they would be violating the blockade.

    "The criminal blockade of the Imperial government violates the human rights of the Cuban people." - Miguel Diaz Canel, Cuban President.
     
  14. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    19 new confirmed cases yesterday, 18 Cubans and 1 foreigner. 288 total cases, deaths remain at 6.

    More than 6 million home visits by family medics to examine everyone for symptoms in their home. Anyone with symptoms off to an isolation centre (usually an empty tourist hotel). Contacts of confirmed cases tracked down and isolated too. Masks compulsory in public. The Havana district of El Carmelo completely locked down on Friday night from 8pm. Only 6 entrances in and out and you have to show a pass.

    In Sancti Spiritus, 6 quarantined people escaped from an isolation hotel. The Cuban news report notes that all 6 were "captured" within 24 hours, charged with offences carrying between 3 months and 1 year imprisonment and returned back to isolation. They don't mess about there and I'm sure there are many who'd like to see similar swift action against the scoff-isolationists here. The infection and death rates don't seem to be following the exponential upward curve we've seen elsewhere. It's still very early, but cautiously the tough measures seem to be working.

    And yet. They tell me that the ice cream and flower sellers are still mooching around the neighbourhoods touching money and fences etc and then their face when they rapidly hoik their mask up from around their sweaty neck when a police car rolls in to view....while I was on n the phone, I could hear someone out in the street yelling "I buy bicycle parts!" over and over and so clearly he couldn't possibly have been wearing a mask.
     
  15. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    More than a month since my last update and the latest Cuban figures are:-
    • 1741 Cases tested positive.
    • 74 Deaths
    • 1078 Recovered
    Only 12 new cases yesterday, the lowest total in the past 3 weeks. 1986 remain in hospital, of these 5 critical and 3 grave. Isolation and contact tracing remains strict. Medical students continue to go door to door, regularly testing people for symptoms. Masks have been compulsory for some time. They've just announced an "increase in rigour" in the fines and penalties for not wearing a mask in public or making unnecessary journies etc. and noted that children or adolescents found breaking the regulations will be "taken to their home and their parents fined". Nice.

    They have also done super strict lockdowns on various barrios where outbreaks have been found. Havana City remains the worst affected province and they've just started a proper lockdown on several barrios in Centro Habana, including Columbus barrio where my in-laws live. If anyone knows Havana, the other neighbourhoods locked down are: Buena Vista, Rampa, Belén, Cayo Hueso, Dragones, Acosta, Guaicanamar, Alamar Este, Debeche Nalon, Zamora Coco Solo, Calabazar, Fraternidad, Magdalena and San Agustín.

    Nobody is allowed to enter or exit unless they have permission. Only a few ways in and out of the barrio have been left, manned by police. No public transport can pass and although the streets are not closed to cars, they are not allowed to stop. Special supplies have been brought in to ensure everyone in the neighbourhoods has enough food and special attention and testing is being given to elderly and vulnerable people (I expect this will include M-i-L).
     
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  16. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    Cubans in UK raise over $31,000 for Cuba

    London, May 16 (Prensa Latina) The association of Cubans living in the United Kingdom announced on Saturday that it has raised 26,000 pounds sterling (almost 31,500 dollars) to help patients infected with Covid-19 in Cuba.

    'We did it! Thanks to all those who helped,' the organization Cubanos en UK, or Cubans in UK, posted in their web page, from where 28 days ago they started a campaign to acquire components of artificial respirators that Cuba cannot buy due to the US blockade.

    The organization sent special thanks to Cuban doctors Valia Rodriguez and Miriam Palacios, authors of the initiative, and to all those who contributed with their cash contributions to surpass the initial goal of collecting 25,000 pounds (a little more than $30,000).

    Many of the donors also left messages of solidarity, among them Lord David Triesman, co-president of the Cuba Initiative, an entity dedicated to promoting trade between the United Kingdom and the Caribbean country.

    The leader of Cubans in UK, Daniesky Acosta, said that the association will now have to find ways to ensure that the inputs bought with the funds provided can circumvent the structure of the extraterritorial laws and financial persecution that Washington has mounted in an attempt to strangle the Cuban people.
     
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  17. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    ZERO deaths in the past 6 days, with a total of 79 deceased in total.

    Ciff's Aunty Mayra, who's an internationalist optician, has been drafted into the medical corps of med students and anybody with medical training, who go to EVERY house at least once a week and have a shouted conversation through the window as to whether anyone within has any sign of symptoms or has any other problems.

    M-i-L says food supply is good and she showed me a special card they have given her as a resident of the barrio and so priority in all the local shops and markets.

    They ask anxiously after us, stuck here in such a backward country with so many deaths and internationally-ridiculed leadership...
     
  18. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    I often wonder about you too. Why are you here? If it is so much better in Cuba, go back, you are lucky you have the choice as the UK, unlike most communist states, will allow you to leave.
     
  19. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    Instead of this, why don’t you go to Cuba for a holiday when this is all over and see if it matches the picture painted for you by the Daily Mail? Challenge yourself.
     
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  20. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    Moose likes this.
  21. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

  22. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    Lots of people enjoy Cuba for a holiday, I'd be happy to go too. But Clive thinks it is better than the UK in every way and that his family don't have to struggle like they do here. It seems that he was well in with the Cuban authorities, and must have been close to getting the Cuban equivalent of a "dacha", so it makes sense that he goes back, instead of just moaning about how the UK make sit tough for him. Of course, there is the deprived and disadvantaged in Cuba, too, if you look underneath Clive's (and Virgin Holiday's gloss), so I am sure there is plenty of "good" he can do over there.
     
  23. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    It’s certainly doing a better job against Covid 19.
     

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