Cuba will no longer require travelers entering the island to present a negative PCR or antigen test for COVID-19, or proof of vaccination, as the epidemic appears to be under control in the country, authorities announced on Monday.
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These new measures, which will come into force on Wednesday, were adopted due to the high vaccination rate in Cuba, where a large part of the population received three doses of one of the locally developed vaccines, as well as a reinforcement dose, explained the national director of epidemiology, doctor Francisco Duran.
Currently, 9.9 million Cubans have been fully vaccinated, or 89.5% of the population, according to the Ministry of Health, and among them 6.3 million have received a booster dose.
The country has developed its own vaccines, for which it hopes to soon receive WHO recognition.
Authorities say they will continue to carry out random testing at the airport, mainly for passengers arriving from countries with high circulation of the virus.
Wearing a mask also remains compulsory in all public spaces in the country.
The island of 11.2 million people on Monday reported 619 new cases in the past 24 hours, including one death, for a total of 1,093,166 cases including 8,515 deaths.
Cuba, which is going through its worst economic crisis in nearly 30 years, depends on tourism, one of its main sources of income, to revive itself, but the arrivals of foreign travelers have remained modest in recent months.
