Cuba to Force Travelers to Quarantine as Virus Cases Rise

(Bloomberg) --

Cuba will make travelers quarantine under a new set of restrictions announced Saturday after coronavirus cases surged this month in the Caribbean’s largest island.

Tourists, businesspeople and foreign diplomats are among those who will be forced to isolate at their own expense in government-approved hotels upon arriving, according to a statement on the health ministry’s website. It did not specify how long foreigners will be kept in quarantine.

Starting Feb. 6, the government will also limit the frequency of flights from a handful of countries, including the U.S., Mexico and Colombia, while suspending air travel from others nations, including Nicaragua and Trinidad & Tobago.

Cuba’s coronavirus cases have more than doubled this month to 25,674, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The disease has killed 213. The country of 11 million, which is developing its own Covid-19 vaccine, said this month it plans to inoculate its entire population this year.

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