Havana reopens its airport but New York imposes new restrictions

International Writing, Nov 11 (EFE) .- America continues to deal with the coronavirus eight months after the first case of contagion was detected, but with disparate realities: while in Cuba its main airport, Havana, the state of New York has been forced to impose new restrictions and in Brazil there are fears that there will be “problems” on the border with Venezuela when they finally have the vaccine against covid-19.
The American continent added 21.8 million cases this Wednesday when global positives reached 50.8 million, after more than 428,000 new infections were reported in the last day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Likewise, the United States continues to be the country with the most cases, 9.8 million, followed by India (8.6 million) and Brazil (5.6 million).
NEW YORK RETURNS TO RESTRICTIONS
In the United States, the country with the most cases in the world, the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, reimposed restrictions on economic activity and meetings after an increase in positive cases of Covid-19 and people hospitalized for the disease.
Cuomo ordered that as of this Friday, bars and restaurants with licenses to sell alcohol and gyms close at 10:00 p.m. local time, and that meetings in private residences be reduced to a maximum of 10 people, considering them a “great source of contagion.” heading into the holiday season.
“We are seeing what has been predicted for months: a national and global increase, and New York is just a boat in the tide of covid-19,” said the governor, who noted that these measures seek “symmetry” with those adopted by the authorities in bordering New Jersey and Connecticut to prevent people from trying to evade them.
On the other hand, in the state of Florida the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced the launch on November 19 of a documentary and musical series that will show the preparations of the shipping company to resume operations, after the paralysis since last March due to covid-19.
The series, titled “Embark-The NCL Experience,” will begin with an entertainment production featuring the cast of the play “The Choir of Man,” which will air “live” for the first time.
THE “JOSÉ MARTÍ” REOPENED TO COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS
The José Martí International Airport in Havana will once again receive regular commercial and charter flights on November 15 after closing its doors at the end of March, except for humanitarian and cargo operations.
The Havana aerodrome, the main gateway to the island, was the only one that remained closed in the country and will apply the same protocols in force in the rest of Cuban airports, which include carrying out a PCR test on all arriving travelers. to the country.
The island accumulates to date 7,429 infections and 130 deaths with the disease.
IN BRAZIL THE MASSIVE ARRIVAL OF VENEZUELANS IS CONCERNED
In Brazil, Vice President Hamilton Mourao expressed his fear that there will be “problems” on the border with Venezuela, and specifically in the border state of Roraima, when his country has a vaccine against covid-19.
“Roraima is a gateway to Brazil” through which tens of thousands of Venezuelans have already arrived in the country, escaping the economic, social and political crisis that the Caribbean nation is experiencing, said the vice president.
And it is that in Brazil the health authorities authorized to resume and resume the experiments carried out with a Chinese vaccine against covid-19, which had been suspended this Monday after the death of a volunteer.
The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) authorized the resumption of the tests and indicated that the temporary suspension, which caused a huge political uproar in the country, was lifted after analyzing new “technical” data sent by the Butantan Institute, responsible for Brazil. by experiments.
THEREFORE, VENEZUELA REMAINS CLOSED
Meanwhile, Venezuela extended until February 11, 2021, the closure of its international airports for commercial flights, which began in March, with the exceptions of landings from Turkey, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Iran and Panama.
The decision, the first that extends the closure for 90 days and not for 30 as has been the case since it was decreed, adds that flights from the four countries will be excepted from a list that was already known, to which Panama joined.
By opening the borders for only 5 countries, international tourism is practically canceled, leaving the exclusive archipelago open for nationals who can afford it and whose number is increasingly scarce, given the difficult economic situation of Venezuela, of which barely a few escape.
THE UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD ALSO “CONCERNED”
The International Association of University Presidents (IAUP, in English) and Santander Universities published a study that highlights the worldwide economic impact that the university system is suffering throughout the planet.
The survey, in which more than 700 rectors participated in about 90 countries, showed that the pandemic will hit the economy of these institutions and enrollment, in addition to promoting new needs in their infrastructures.
The main concerns detected in the responses included the academic success of the students (68%), the financial sustainability of the institutions (57%), the methodology to keep the students involved (51%), inclusion (49%) and the drop in enrollment (44%).
70% of the rectors considered that from now on their educational programs will be hybrid, combining face-to-face with virtual education.

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