About the New Normality, I dare to assure, only the last word has been internalized, judging by an atmosphere of relaxation that alludes to failures in memory to remember the situation experienced in the province of Ciego de Ávila, which has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, just three months ago.
How is it possible to erase the immediate past, marked by thousands of patients, hundreds of deaths, collapsed hospitals, lack of medicines, sacrifices, uncertainties and ailments that will always be latent in the memory of the family member, friend or neighbor?
In the recent rendering of account of his management before the Provincial Council, Tomás Alexis Martín Venegas, Governor of the territory of Ciego de Ávila, counted - since March 2020 - an accumulated of 50 771 confirmed cases and 742 deaths, which represents a fatality of 1.5%.
He stressed the high transmission of the disease during the months of July and August, with 37,243 infected patients, which led to the expansion of admission capacities to more than 5,500 beds, in a short term, and to transform new facilities into centers of patient care, reaching the figure of 50.
Other statements also alluded to the sadness of the moment: it was necessary to expand the production of sarcophagi and increase the construction of niches, in addition to investing in a new cemetery in the provincial capital, with more than 5,000 capacities.
It is not about living clinging to memories or with fear of the present, but about assuming the responsibility that the current situation demands, without renouncing the enthusiasm to resume routines, but aware of the permanence of a virus that becomes threatening when mutating into more contagious and aggressive forms, against which the effectiveness of vaccines is unknown.
Currently, the world is raising alarms at the appearance of Ómicron (B.1.1.529), a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is posed as a new challenge for humanity after being declared by the World Health Organization as worrying, due to its rapid dispersal.
Ómicron emerged to implement a new change in life routines and reposition the pandemic, forgotten by some in the heat of immunization and due to the proximity of the Christmas festivities, the end of one year and the beginning of another. Preliminary studies suggest changes in the structure of the virus that could decrease the effectiveness of vaccines.
In this context, recklessness and disorder in public spaces are concerned, and private and popular parties are challenging, where the facemask bothers to explode in a shout of joy, they dance together and circulate, from hand to hand, glasses with drinks alcoholic, an environment easy to predict and complex to deal with.
Crowds of people and disregard for physical distancing regulations are frequent, not always justified by the shortcomings and favored by the lack of initiative and inability to sustain practices implemented in favor of the organization of sales and compliance with hygiene protocols. -Sanitary.
The present is irreverent and burlesque when, in the middle of a public thoroughfare, the facemask becomes a choker or garment to carry in the hand and wear only in the face of the emergency imposed by the presence of the Police. It is not the only authority empowered before the Law to correct violations that put collective health at risk.
The New Normality "grows crooked", without there being a majority projection to oppose the violations, not even an efficient performance of those who have the state commission to enforce the regulations and sanction with severity when the circumstances require it.
Appealing to the responsibility and sensitivity of people continues to be the ideal resource, however, in the face of repeated disobediences, it is urgent to apply with rigor and justice the provisions of the Penal Code or Decree Law 31/2021 “Of the infractions of the sanitary measures for the prevention and confrontation of Covid-19”.
Sanitary inspections should not be limited to reviewing the date of the containers with disinfectant solutions or the status of the foot disinfection carpets ─without underestimating the importance of these actions─, considering the coexistence of behaviors with greater implications on health and suggestive of a environment of impunity.
Regardless of the deficiencies of second or third persons, it is advisable to stop at individual responsibility as a determinant of collective behavior, so that participation and actions are consistent with the premise of restoring the functioning of society.
It is fair to maintain attitudes consistent with the efforts made to guarantee health because, despite the economic limitations derived from the international economic crisis and the intensification of the US blockade against Cuba, it was possible to contain the pandemic, at a cost of more than 300 million of dollars.
The sum of behaviors also make up the image of a society that must be consistent with the solidarity aid received from various countries, and has repercussions on the reliability of a nation that is shown as a safe destination for international travelers.
Cuba adopts sanitary protocols adjusted to the sanitary situation in the world ―as of next December 4, 2021, reinforcement measures will be applied in the control of international travelers― and, consequently, within the nation the efforts to reduce vulnerabilities.
Sanitary control, in all scenarios, will guarantee peace of mind by preserving the health of the people and facilitating economic recovery, so that it is possible to increase the production of goods and services.
“The complexities of COVID-19 were overcome in Cuba, but not in the world, therefore, border control and epidemiological surveillance within the nation must continue to be perfected to avoid another outbreak. That should be one of the fundamental work objectives in the next period”, the Vice Prime Minister Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella affirmed during his most recent visit to the province.
Reasons enough to maintain the perception of risk and a responsible attitude. In addition, out of respect and in honor of the efforts of those who have remained in the red zones or in the creation of vaccines that allow them to travel more protected, immune and happy ―as the popular song says - towards a New Normality, which will advance or recede as our actions decide.