COVID PROTOCOL – Central News Hub

Cuba announces fresh protocols as Covid cases top 1 million

The Cuban government has announced new protocols against the Covid-19 pandemic as the overall infection tally has surpassed the grim 1 million mark…reports Asian Lite News

The Caribbean nation on Monday registered 3,306 confirmed cases and one more virus-related death, taking the national counts to 1,002,499 and 8,341 respectively, said the Health Ministry.

At present, there are 17,443 active Covid-19 cases across the country, 41 of them being treated in intensive care units.

The Ministry said the Omicron variant is becoming predominant across the country as daily infections are projected to climb until the end of February.

Cuba tightens Covid curbs before Christmas

In the face of the surge, health authorities have prioritized in-home care to ease the strain on hospitals.

Children under the age of two years, people with severe symptoms of the disease, and those living with underlying medical conditions will be hospitalised.

In addition, people who are not fully vaccinated as well as pregnant and post-partum women will be hospitalized after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

Asymptomatic Covid-19 cases and those reporting mild symptoms must self-isolate at home for one week under regular epidemiological monitoring from the neighborhood doctors’ offices.

The new protocols also include the administration of preventive medication to senior citizens and other vulnerable groups.

Local governments have called for reinforcing cleaning and disinfecting procedures at schools, nursing homes, and psychiatric hospitals to reduce the chance of potential transmission.

ALSO READ: Global Covid caseload tops 330.2 mn

International travellers are now required to show proof of vaccination and a negative result of a polymerase chain reaction test taken within 72 hours before arrival.

In addition, all passengers from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique must stay at designated quarantine hotels for a week at their own expense.

So far, over 87 per cent of the country’s population has been fully inoculated with home-grown vaccines, and more than 3.5 million Cuban nationals have received booster shots.

Boris apologises for Downing Street party

The Prime Minister’s apology came after days of outrage after new evidence about the illicit gathering emerged….reports Asian Lite News

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised for attending a Downing Street garden party during the country’s first lockdown in 2020.

During the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons, Johnson on Wednesday admitted that he attended the gathering in the back garden of 10 Downing Street on May 20, 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I believed implicitly that this was a work event,” he told the lawmakers, adding that he went to the garden party with the aim of thanking groups of staff before going back into his office 25 minutes later.

“With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside. I should have found some other way to thank them.”

Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, slammed Johnson’s “ridiculous” apology, saying the Prime Minister’s excuse that he “did not realise he was at a party” was “offensive” to the British public.

Starmer urged Johnson to “do the decent thing and resign”.

In response, Johnson insisted that everyone should wait until the inquiry by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant tasked with investigating the reported party in Downing Street, has concluded before questioning further on the matter.

“I know the rage they (millions of people across Britain) feel with me and with the government I lead when they think in Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules.

“And though I cannot anticipate the conclusions of the current inquiry, I have learned enough to know there were things we simply did not get right and I must take responsibility,” he added.

The Prime Minister’s comments came after days of outrage after new evidence about the illicit gathering emerged.

On Monday, local media ITV revealed that Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, had emailed an invitation to more than 100 Downing Street staffers to “socially distanced drinks in the No. 10 garden” and told guests to “bring your own booze” and “make the most of the lovely weather”.

This happened while the country was under strict coronavirus lockdown measures and such gatherings were illegal.

Pressure has been mounting for Johnson to resign following the latest evidence of the garden party.

Two separate polls released on Tuesday showed the majority of British voters think he should step down.

A snap poll from Savanta ComRes found 66 per cent of British adults thought he should step down, marking a 12-point increase.

A poll conducted by YouGov showed that 56 per cent of respondents believe Johnson should step down, rising from 48 per cent seen in a similar survey on November 22 last year.

Support from Johnson’s own Conservative Party is also waning as members have been openly critical, with Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross saying on Tuesday that Johnson must resign if he broke lockdown rules in the garden party.

ALSO READ: ‘Partygate’ puts Boris in the dock