Country controls Covid but fears future impact on tourist economy
Havana said farewell to one of its greatest champions last week as the city grapples with the coronavirus and its impact on tourism and an existing economic crisis.
Historian Eusebio Leal Spengler, who is credited with transforming Old Havana from a crumbling quarter into an immaculately restored colonial tourist attraction, died at the age of 77.
His office refurbished more than 300 buildings in Old Havana, the heart of a city founded in 1519 by the Spanish. Old Havana was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982.
The restoration drive by the historian, known as Leal, made him so famous he became known as the de facto mayor.
Cuba’s response to the coronavirus has been cited as an example of how authoritarian regimes can sometimes respond better to a crisis than democratic ones.
The country has reported 2,726 cases and 88 deaths from the virus. Lately there have been fewer than five cases per day and hundreds of tests have been carried out for every new case detected. Some days no new cases are detected, despite continued mass testing.
During the crisis the system’s strengths – widespread monitoring, large numbers of health care workers, and generally strong public trust in hospitals – have come to the fore.
Cubans showing symptoms are placed in state-run isolation centres for 14 days, whether they want to go or not. It’s a tough measure, but vital to prevent spread in extended families.
But the Covid-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on the country’s tourism industry. That has forced the government to launch a series of longpromised economic reforms to bolster the country’s struggling private sector, allowing them to import and export materials themselves, without having to go through state-owned markets.
“It’s a really good initiative,” said Tony Baró, owner of a restaurant in Havana’s Vedado neighbourhood.
“It’s not meeting all expectations yet, but we hope that it will in the future.”