Disinfecting Buses in Havana to Prevent COVID-19

By Ricardo López Hevia, Susana Antón Rodriguez
March 16, 2020

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.

In a city like Havana that moves an average of one million people a day by bus, any measure taken to combat the new coronavirus might seem like little.

However, the Ministry of Transport (Mitrans) has implemented a series of actions aimed at increasing sanitation and preventive control in the Provincial Transport Company, which is responsible for the articulated and rigid buses that participate in the daily transfer of the population in the capital.

The measures, which began last Tuesday, also include the work centers and the arrival of each worker to the base units, said Raimundo Hierro Luna, deputy director of human resources of the company.

The process is established so that, once the “bus” arrives at the terminal, a team begins with the disinfection with chlorine solutions of the handrails, seats, doors and other surfaces.

The departure times of the transport will not be affected, because also at peak times, between each departure of the buses, there are 15 minutes for cleaning, explained Mauricio Mató Hernández, director of the Mulgoba Terminal.

Each time a bus completes a journey, at the rest time before returning, these measures are also being applied, and the people responsible are the driver and the conductor, who carry out the cleaning with the means given to them.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.

Likewise, once the “cart” finishes the daily route and arrives at the base, a more meticulous cleaning is done to leave it ready for the next day.

The Provincial Transport Company of Havana has also published informative banners inside the buses, both rigid and articulated, so that the population is aware of the measures that must be adopted to prevent COVID-19.

This practice is implemented in each of the areas related to transport, such as the railways, the sea, and even aeronautics, as has been indicated to private transporters.

It is necessary to create a collective awareness of the importance of prevention, as each driver must be responsible for cleanliness and ensure compliance with the provisions of the COVID-19 confrontation in the Mitrans.

It is therefore up to the transporters to ensure the health of the Cuban people and to ensure, through hygiene and discipline, that all forms of transport are a guarantee of safety.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.

They disinfect the buses in Havana. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia/Granma.