Havana, Cuba.- New international health measures will take effect in Cuba on Wednesday due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks and the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

According to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP, in Spanish), travelers coming from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi and Eswatini will have to, on a mandatory basis, show a vaccination card upon arrival proving they have been fully vaccinated.

Moreover, they must show a negative real-time PCR test (Polymerase Chain Reaction) made 72 hours before the trip at the latest, and another test will be made upon arrival.

On the other hand, they will undergo a mandatory lockdown for eight days at a hotel selected for this, and travelers will pay for accommodation and transportation.

Furthermore, cruise ships and recreational boats passengers will show an international vaccination certificate.

Foreign travelers who arrive in Cuba and are enrolled in international schools, scholarships in national institutions, technicians and foreign collaborators who live in dorms will comply with an eight-day quarantine in their respective centers and will undergo a real-time PCR test on the seventh day.

Travelers who test positive will be hospitalized, and their contacts will be taken to centers set up for isolation or remain at home with the necessary conditions and guaranteeing compliance with this measure.

Risk local cases or severe enough ones will be hospitalized, and their direct contacts will be isolated at home or, if necessary, in medical institutions for eight days.