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Isolation, Quarantine and Social Distancing
Differences Between Isolation, Quarantine and Social Distancing
The World Health Organization has recommended these public health strategies to stop the new coronavirus, but how shall we differentiate between them and apply the appropriate one in each case?
April 6, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
ISOLATION
Isolation applies to people who have tested positive for Covid-19, to suspected cases or to people who have had close contact with sick people and who would have a high probability of having contracted the virus.
Isolation should be strict to avoid contact between people who have become ill and those who are healthy and is usually done within a hospital or health center, with the necessary medical supervision.
QUARANTINE
It is the way to limit the movement of healthy people who may have been exposed to the virus and do not know it. Quarantine lasts 14 days and must be done by all people who arrived from the affected and high transmission areas of covid-19.
VOLUNTARY QUARANTINE
Many people have made the decision to stay home voluntarily, as a preventive measure for two weeks. This way they will avoid contact with other people. By not attending work, not receiving visitors at home, and not using public transportation, the risk of contagion is potentially reduced.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
If you are not in quarantine or isolation, when you leave your home for strictly necessary reasons, such as going to the supermarket or pharmacy, you should adopt social distancing: separating one meter from another person, minimizing activities or going to public places.
SOURCE: agendapro.com
Why Shouldn’t You Drink During Self-Isolation?
Why Shouldn’t You Drink Alcohol During Self-Isolation?
Health specialists have said that alcohol consumption, as an effective measure to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, is just a rumor that has been circulating in the networks after the increase in the spread of covid-19
April 7, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Millions of people in different countries are forced to remain self-isolated these days, and some resort to alcohol to relieve the stress of confinement.
Health specialists have said that alcohol consumption, as an effective measure to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, is just a rumor that was unleashed on the networks after the increased spread of covid-19.
They explained that, up to now, no scientific study has confirmed this fact. However, what they do categorically affirm, from the World Health Organization, is that it neither helps nor prevents the spread of covid-19. On the contrary, the known damages it causes to human health weakens the defenses of the organism to face a possible infection, especially the one generated by sars CoV-2, so aggressive and deadly.
What consequences can this behavior have?
Drinking alcohol during self-isolation to relax and lift your spirits can lead to dependency.
The subjectively pleasant effect of alcoholic beverages is not natural and does not last long. Humans adapt quickly and then need an ever-increasing dose to reach that state, until sobriety becomes an uncomfortable state.
The person becomes unable to enjoy life without being stimulated, becomes moody, irritable and begins to have sleep problems, while alcohol intake does not help to remove these symptoms.
Drinking during treatment for the new coronavirus can lead to serious complications: alcoholic beverages cancel out the effect of the medications and some of the alcohol is released from the body through breathing, making the lungs more vulnerable to infection.
Cuban Media Working as Pandemic Advances
In photos: How is the Media Working in Cuba as the Pandemic Advances?
The editorial strategy of every media outlet in Cuba goes hand in hand with the application of strict preventive measures because, as a premise, if there is one thing the people cannot be without, it is information and in order to offer it, one must also be healthy
April 6, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Rebel Radio Photo: Secret Naturality (Latin World)
There are frontline heroes, heroes in white coats.
There are others in the background, behind a microphone or a camera.
There are others who write, ask, speak.
There are anonymous heroes.
Sometimes they’re called journalists, camera operators, announcers, sound recorders, photographers…
In this joint battle against the coronavirus in Cuba, communication is key.
Periódico Granma Foto: Naturaleza Secreta (Mundo Latino)
Periódico Granma Photo: Naturaleza Secreta (Mundo Latino)
DEALING WITH FALSE NEWS
For Demetrio Villaurrutia, Deputy Director of Radio Rebelde, the first challenge is to inform.
“In a scenario where so much false news appears, the media has the role of guiding the population and increasing the perception of risk; without panic, but with awareness,” he said.
“Even when we are taking all the measures, we are also risking our health. In my case, I think about the family and I know they understand my social role,” he added.
Secret Nature will continue to share the stories behind the scenes of these information heroes.
Rebel Radio Photo: Secret Naturality (Latin World)
Rebel Radio Photo: Secret Naturality (Latin World)
Rebel Radio Photo: Rebel Radio
Yurisander Guevara Zaila, Deputy Director of Juventud Rebelde: “Right now the only thing being talked about in Cuba and in the world is the coronavirus. That is because humanity is experiencing an event like this for the first time. We are engaged in a communications campaign to constantly inform the people about the measures they should take. We have tried to create a journalism that calls for responsibility.
Juventud Rebel Photo: Secret Naturality (Mundo Latino)
“With the COVID-19 our life changed. It’s true that many of us can’t stop going out because we have to go and buy the products we need in the house, but you can stand in line far away from the other person”.
Juventud Rebel Photo: Secret Naturality (Mundo Latino)
Juventud Rebelde Photo: Juventud Rebelde
Juventud Rebelde Photo: Juventud Rebelde
Source of text and photos: Facebook page of Naturaleza Secreta, an audiovisual project of Mundo Latino
70% Increase in Gender-Based Violence
Chile Reports 70% Increase in Gender-Based Violence During Quarantine
The Chilean Government is preparing a set of measures to expand the network of support for women victims of gender violence from government and business bodies
April 7, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Minister Carolina Cuevas explained that Chilean women need to ask for guidance and help when they are victims of domestic violence. Photo: Taken from Telesur
The Ministry of Women and Gender Equality in Chile reported on Monday a 70 percent increase in calls made by women to a domestic violence hotline during the first weekend under quarantine in the country following the health crisis generated by the coronavirus.
The information came to light as part of a study provided by the minister of the portfolio, Carolina Cuevas, who implemented a contingency plan that included special reinforcement of the Fono Orientación 1455 shifts, to protect women who reported being subjected to domestic violence.
The weekend before the quarantine, 532 calls were received, while in the same period, one week later, the number rose to 907. “This significant increase in calls is also a reflection of the fact that there is a need to ask for guidance and help in times when women are spending more time in our homes, possibly with our partners,” Cuevas explained.
For its part, the Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that, although reports of domestic violence have decreased by 18 percent compared to last March, reports of femicide have increased by 200 percent in the same period of time.
The Chilean government is preparing other measures to expand the network of support for women victims of gender violence, such as coordination with public agencies to safeguard care in periods of emergency, increasing the capacity of shelters and a messaging service, via SMS or WhatsApp, so that women can communicate in a “silent” manner that will be implemented in the following weeks.
Cuevas also met with the president of the employers’ union, the Confederation of Production and Commerce (CPC), Juan Sutil, to discuss the impact of the health crisis on women workers. The minister requested that companies provide formal support to women in preventing domestic violence and incorporate the issue into their permanent policies.
In this regard, a group of Chilean women legislators and feminist organizations sent a letter to President Sebastián Piñera, asking him to strengthen measures to prevent violence, to prohibit the sale of alcohol that can trigger violent acts, such as creating immediate action groups and establishing strategies for reporting violence through websites, pharmacies or supermarkets. Gael Yeomans, MP and president of Convergencia Social, said that additional measures should be taken to allow victims of gender-based violence to break out of quarantine if they need help.
Global #QuedateEnCasa Campaign
How Did the Global #QuedateEnCasa Campaign Begin?
A Spanish-language label is spreading rapidly through Facebook and Twitter. Used in serious, funny publications, it is used by professionals to share tips on how to protect themselves from COVID-19 and the citizens of the world when they post photos from their days of isolation, at home, in physical isolation.
April 7, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Photo: Taken from the Internet
This is the famous label #QuedateEnCasa, which – who would imagine it – began as a challenge from the doctors and nurses at the Hospital Clínico in Madrid. They invited all of Spain to become aware of the importance of individual responsibility to avoid infecting other people, according to the Mallorca newspaper.
The challenge, the first and most famous of many launched later by people from all over the world, began with a video available on the official Twitter account of the Public Health of the Community of Madrid that exceeded 250,000 views in five hours. In the audiovisual, the medical staff calls on the population to join a voluntary quarantine and recommends taking responsible measures so as not to collapse the Spanish health system.
According to Europa Press, the promoter of the initiative was surgeon general Sandra García Botella, who came up with the idea “because of the impotence of seeing that the message that is being transmitted through the media is not reaching the people well” (?) “it’s not a vacation, the children don’t have to be in the park, [the young people] don’t have to be staying, they don’t have to go out to the bars,” she said.
She also added that with the youth “it doesn’t work for a politician to go out and give a message, hashtags [labels] work, challenges work.
The campaign, which immediately went viral on social networks, was joined by representatives from the world of sports, entertainment, culture and “influencers. Now there are videos calling for social isolation, such as the one by the Spanish Football Federation. New challenges have appeared to encourage confinement, such as daring to tell a goal, creating recipes with a sporting aroma, doing crossfits with bags of rice, or playing golf with toilet paper, says Marca, one of the most well-known media in the field of sport.
In Italy, they launched a campaign similar to the Spanish #QuedateEnCasa. The authorities resorted to more shocking images to reach their population more effectively. Then the campaign calling for quarantine had to be turned into law to contain the pandemic.
Quarantine is the way to limit the movement of healthy people who may have been exposed to the virus and don’t know it, says the World Health Organization. It usually lasts 14 days and must be done by all people who arrived from affected areas with high transmission of the virus.
Social distancing, on the other hand, is the separation of one meter between one person and another; and is based on the call not to go to public places, as well as to avoid population concentrations.
In the face of the global emergency caused by the new coronavirus that appeared in China at the end of 2019, many have decided to stay home voluntarily as a preventive measure.
By not going to work, not receiving visitors and not using public transport, the risk of contagion is potentially reduced. This type of decision is called voluntary quarantine.
Free Distribution of Nasobucos Begins
Free Distribution of Nasobucos Begins
This company belonging to the Ministry of Culture of Cuba, which produces and markets goods for the art industry, is today one of the institutions that have joined the production of nasobucos throughout the country.
By Redacción Cultural
March 23, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Photo: Germán Veloz Placencia
The National Council for the Performing Arts promotes the actions of Tecnoescena, a company belonging to the Cuban Ministry of Culture that produces and markets goods for the artistic industry, and which today is one of the institutions that have joined the production of nasobucos throughout the country.
According to José Martínez, its deputy director, this company is producing this add-on for free distribution, guaranteeing, fundamentally, the national schools of the artistic education system, as well as in the Theater and Dance centers of Havana, in some groups, among which is La Colmenita. Other cultural institutions, whose work will interact with the public,will also benefit, specifically in the area of tourism.
Tecnoescena is joined by three groups of artistic creators from the Cuban Fund for Cultural Goods (FCBC) in Ciego de Avila, who have made available to their province 5,000 nasobucos, made by them.
These timely initiatives are those that reinforce the action of the country’s main organizations, focused on the work of preventing the new coronavirus. (Cultural Editor)
Juan Padrón, Father of Elpidio Valdés, has Died
Juan Padrón, Father of Elpidio Valdés, has Died
It is shuddering to read the news: Juan Padrón has died. He left, and with his departure, thousands of Cubans will feel as if they were saying goodbye to a happy time, the one that marked with the adventures of the most “rogue manigüero mambí” the good days and the hours of the dolls in so many houses in which, with each bravado of Elpidio, the pride of knowing oneself Cuban grew.
By Yisell Rodríguez Milán
March 24, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Juan Padrón. Photo: Ariel Cecilio Lemus
Juan Padrón, one of Cuba’s best cartoonists and “father” of Elpido Valdés, one of the most patriotic and beloved animators in the history of children’s productions in the country, died in the early hours of March 24, 2020.
His son, Ian Padrón, a talented filmmaker known for his multiple video clips and for directing the film Habanastation (2014), posted a loving farewell on his Facebook wall, which made the news known:
“Our beloved father Juan Padrón has just passed away at 5.20 am today, March 24, 2020. “The last mambí” struggled for 20 days and leaves full of love and tranquility. We thank all the doctors, friends and admirers who during these days have shown their love and admiration for this great artist who is already part of the Cuban people and the independence of Cuba”.
“Papi, I know you’d say “don’t get so serious”… and you’re right. We will always remember you as the nicest, humblest, and coolest human being we will ever meet in our lives. Thank you for Elpidio Valdés, for the Vampires in Havana and above all for being such a noble and loving father and husband. Hasta la vista, compay,” he wrote.
Days before, Ian Padron had commented, also on Facebook, that his father was very ill, due to a lung disease. Given the concerns of his friends and followers about whether his condition would be related to the new coronavirus Covid-19, he commented: “My father Juan Padrón is still in a serious but stable state. My family asks me to explain that all the virus tests have been negative. That no one considers it to be a coronavirus. Thank you for the thousands of messages of encouragement and health.
There are probably very few people in Cuba who don’t know Juan Padrón… and Elpidio, well, Elpidio is known to everyone. Cuban television has always honored the quality of this animated man, and of others born of his imagination like Vampires in Havana! or those funny Filminutos who, on summer afternoons, brought laughter to children and blushing to adults.
Photo: Cortesía Centro Pablo
Today Prensa Latina remembers that, in 1985, Padrón began a collaboration with the Argentine comedian Quino (Joaquín Lavado), creator of the popular character Mafalda; and that as a result of this relationship the series Quinoscopios was born, less seen on the island but whose quality earned him inclusion among the classics of contemporary animated cinema.
Juan Padrón won, among others, the National Humor Award (2004) and the National Film Award (2008). He participated as a jury member or with his works in numerous festivals around the world. He was a professor at the University of the Arts and gave conferences and courses on animation in European cities and workshops on screenwriting in several Latin American countries, refere PL.
He was currently an advisor to the Animation Studies of the Cuban Institute of Film Art and Industry (Icaic).
Winning First Place Through Prevention
Winning First Place Through Prevention
A difficult, but not invincible rival, appears in our geography. It needs to be defeated, in the purest sports jargon, with a KO.
By Gladys Leidys Ramos
March 23, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Photo: Granma Archive
A difficult, but not invincible, opponent appears in our geography and needs to be defeated, in the purest sporting jargon, with a KO. Victory will not be rewarded with a gold medal, but with the most brilliant prize: life. For this, we have the best Cuban team: the national health system and our families.
The game will be tense, long and with constant strategies, at the height of the best game of chess, basketball or baseball. The Cuban people and all its institutions will fight for the ultimate victory.
The rapid spread of the new coronavirus, which causes Covid-19 disease, has set off alarm bells all over the world. A total of 171 countries, among them 41 Latin American and Caribbean peoples, are being threatened by this pandemic. However, Cuba has the necessary conditions for its prevention.
The measures taken by the country’s leadership and the national health system are intended to avoid any vulnerability that could undermine the well-being and quality of life of every Cuban. In this effort, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution are holding health meetings throughout the country to help raise the perception of risk of this disease.
In the People’s Council of San Francisco de Paula, in the capital city of San Miguel del Padrón, one of these debates was held on the causes and consequences of the new coronavirus, its forms of propagation and the actions that should be taken to reduce the possibilities of infection.
“The objective of this meeting is to keep the population prepared. I insist on hygiene precautions for each person: washing hands with soap and water or alcoholic solutions; also cleaning surfaces with this type of product. Primary care, where the actions begin, is ready and trained to deal with this phenomenon. In the polyclinics and clinics, all the personnel are working to keep the information on the subject up to date,” Luelsis Hernández, director of health in the municipality, told the residents of the popular council.
Sandra Layón, coordinator of Zone 55, expressed her concern, specifically with the population of San Francisco, because she believes it may be vulnerable. “There is talk that the fundamental basis for containing the infection is the doctors’ offices, but I think that the work of the doctors and nurses in our territory should be intensified, in the field, which is the main scenario for detecting cases.
On that point, Hernandez Torres said that although there are 20 doctor’s offices in that community, and each one has doctor and nurse coverage, he agreed with the call to defeat this disease.
Risk perception and prevention are key against the coronavirus. Although the work of health specialists is essential in preventing phenomena like this, the will and responsibility of each one is equally important.
Nurse Maria Hernandez called for responsibility and discipline in the investigations that are currently being carried out in the area,, This is one way in which the primary health care network can rule out or identify any case of infection by the virus.
Idania Bastida, a pharmaceutical worker, agreed with her and called on all the inhabitants of the popular council to be able to maintain the hygiene of the community with the resources they have.
“It is important not to form gatherings on street corners, especially now that we have several collectors. We must also respect the schedules for dumping that waste. We know that there are places where trucks cannot gain access due to the geographical characteristics of our town, but that is why the collectors were installed on the corners,” said the ceding company.
Adis Aba Escalona, an official of the Federation of Cuban Women, took advantage of the occasion to inform the residents that the creative women in the municipality are working on making nasobucos, as a protective measure.
“For that reason, we are calling on everyone who knows how to sew to join in this work and complete as many as possible, not only in San Miguel del Padrón, but also in the entire capital and, if possible, in the country.
Jan Carlos Serabay warned of the need for young people, as a sector that can be vulnerable due to the low perception of risk, to contribute individually and collectively, not only to avoid infection in their age group, but also to transmit information from social networks, so that Cuban society becomes informed and aware.
On the other hand, Dr. Dairis Escobar recalled that, unlike other peoples, our country has the possibility of taking effective measures. “We take measures so that every Cuban becomes a protagonist and communicator of hygiene actions and discipline from the workplace and the home; for that we do not need greater material resources, only the perception of risk and the willingness of each person to take care of themselves and others.
The health system is doing its job, from the preparation of each worker in the sector, doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, laboratory workers, etc., to the conditioning of rooms in hospitals, to wait for admissions with everything ready,” he added.
Thanks to Cuba, I Came Back to Life
First Cuban Coronavirus Carrier:
“Thanks to Cuba, I Came Back to Life”
Jesús Álvarez, who has been discharged, said he had the strength to resist in the middle of the storm, because he knew about the quality of Cuban medicine
Author: Freddy Pérez Cabrera | internet@granma.cu
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Jesús Álvarez López, the first Cuban carrier of the COVID-19, with his mother Irania López Aldama and his wife, the Bolivian living in Italy, Anel González Zurita. Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabrera
Santa Clara – I do not have words to express my gratitude to Cuba, which has been able to train such humane and professional doctors, nurses and specialists, thanks to whom I am back to life today, said Jesus Alvarez Lopez, the first Cuban carrier of the new coronavirus who has been discharged.
The 25-year-old dancer, who lives in this city, told Granma that at present he is evolving very favorably, and with a very rigorous follow-up by the family doctor, who comes daily to see how he is doing, takes his temperature and performs other controls, according to the protocols established for these cases.
About the experience, he said that his wife, Anel González Zurita, a Bolivian citizen living in Milan, Lombardy region, Italy, had arrived in Cuba without any apparent symptoms of any illness. However, a few days later she began to have slight respiratory problems, as he did. For that reason they went to the health system, where they were immediately admitted to the Villa Clara isolation hospital, and later transferred to the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK), where the illness was confirmed.
“Imagine what I suffered at that moment; the world fell on me. I felt fear, I thought the worst, in my family, in my little girl Ana Sofía who was only one year old. But I had the strength to resist in the middle of the storm, because I knew about the quality of Cuban medicine,” says Alvarez Lopez.
Referring to the treatment he received, he has words of praise for the doctors and all the staff who work at the Manuel Piti Fajardo Hospital in Villa Clara and the IPK, for which he says he feels grateful. They made him understand that he was not alone during those days of isolation. “They were my parents, my brothers, my friends,” the young man said emotionally.
“There I lacked for nothing, no medicine, no resources of any kind. They even spoiled me a little bit, because if I was hungry, it didn’t matter if it was two in the morning, they brought yogurt or some food. If I wanted to talk to my family, they facilitated the conversation through the telephone. In short, I was pleased with everything, says Jesus, who before saying goodbye, wanted to send a message to the Cuban people, whom he thanked for so much love in these difficult days.
“I am worried because I see some people who are still on the streets and without the necessary consciousness for the present situation. To them I say to take care, that this can touch anyone. You have to listen to the guidelines of the government, which is working very hard to avoid the worst. If we take all the measures, we will get out of this, because we are a people of battle, nobody doubts that, we will win.
Cuban CP on Kissing and Covid-19
Prudence
This is a struggle in which we are all involved, of a social nature, and in which each one must impose on him/herself the condition of being responsible, for his own good and that of others.
By Ventura de Jesús
March 21, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Photo: Taken from the Internet
Covid-19 continues to spread around the world, with increasing levels of infection and death. The signal is very clear: protocols for prevention and control must be followed, and very strict health rules must be observed in order to avoid at all costs contagion and the spread of the disease.
There are various measures and lessons to flatten the epidemic’s curve and the emphasis is on collective awareness, discipline, and individual responsibility.
In addition to strengthening hygiene care, experts warn that personal behavior is key. They recommend social distancing measures, such as voluntary quarantine and isolation, as well as avoiding displacement and crowding.
Others are aimed at not shaking hands and avoiding kisses, and trying to keep at least one meter away from other people, something whose benefit nobody doubts, but which to a certain extent is tormenting for Cubans, since they quarrel with habits that are deeply rooted in our society.
Visual and physical contact in Cuba does not have the same connotation as in other parts of the world. According to scholars, it is part of nature and responds to socio-cultural and historical phenomena.
Fortunately, there are those who have given up on the fraternal embraces, friendly romps and other approaches that usually characterize the encounters between acquaintances, friends and family on the island.
There are more and more people who greet you from a distance or give you an affective glance from afar. There are even those, the few, who pass by without looking. They believe that this does not hurt anyone’s feelings, and is healthy for the purpose of evading the Covid-19.
The truth is that putting aside, or postponing for the time being, the relationship of joyful camaraderie in the form of handshakes or necking, need not sour anyone’s character or be a source of laughter or mockery. Everyone should understand the reasons and not overlook the importance of caution, even against their will.
Despite many exhortations, many people still do not take this particular matter seriously, and there is no human power capable of persuading them that, for example, affectionate greetings should be avoided.
Perhaps that is why we Latinos, and particularly Cubans, are like that. There are those who think that a kiss does not hurt anyone and find it extravagant to greet each other with an elbow or with simple gestures from a distance. They consider it a useless torture and continue to obey that ancient custom of shaking hands or hugging a friend.
Although some do not seem to be aware of it, this pandemic is dangerous and causes countless setbacks, including some that are related to our daily habits.
Cubans, bound by affection and solidarity, must continue to work with serenity, security and discipline to successfully confront the new coronavirus, as President Miguel Díaz-Canel indicated.
On an individual level, this means not losing track of reality and looking at the faces of others with our hands on our hearts. In this way, we accompany the country’s decisions and do not fail in the will that guides us in this battle.
It is a struggle in which we are all involved, of a social nature, and in which each one must impose on themselves the condition of being responsible, for your own good and for that of others. For the time being, we must postpone some customary habits. It is convenient for everyone, for you and for me. It is the most prudent thing to do.
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