Haiti declares emergency over coronavirus, imposes curfew, shuts borders

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haiti’s government on Thursday declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, closing the borders of the Americas’ poorest nation and imposing a curfew after authorities detected the first two cases of infection.

President Jovenel Moise told a news conference that all the Caribbean country’s ports, airports and borders would be closed to people from midnight on Thursday, though they would remain open for goods traffic.

Schools, universities, places of worship and industrial parks would be closed, and a curfew would be in force from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as of Friday, he added.

Haiti was one of the last Caribbean nations to remain coronavirus-free and had suspended flights from Europe, Latin America and Canada and imposed major restrictions on the border with the neighboring Dominican Republic earlier this week in a bid to prevent the disease’s entry.

The country struggles to deal with serious outbreaks of disease because of a lack of sanitation infrastructure and inadequate healthcare services. One of the key recommendations for staving off coronavirus is to wash hands frequently with soap and water, but most Haitians do not have running water.

More than half the population lives under the poverty line of $2.41 per day, according to the World Bank, and the country is only just recovering from a nine-year cholera outbreak that the United Nations said killed nearly 10,000.

Reporting by Andre Paultre; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

 

Haiti Opens National Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory with U.S. Government Support

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Thursday, December 21, 2017, the Ministry of Public Health and Population’s National Public Health Laboratory (LNSP) celebrated the inauguration of a national biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory.

The U.S. Government through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other international and local partners supported the establishment of the laboratory which will be used for tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) diagnosis and treatment. In addition to increasing Haiti’s capacity to diagnose and treat cases of TB and MDR-TB, the lab will allow the country to monitor the evolution of TB drug resistance in Haiti and to handle emerging infectious agents that pose a significant risk to laboratory staff and the environment.

Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Hannan attended the ceremony noting the critical role laboratory services play in diagnosing, treating, and responding to potential disease threats. “With the opening of the BSL-3 laboratory, Haiti is taking another crucial step toward health security. The Ministry will be able to carry out TB culture, allowing for critical diagnoses; and to conduct the vital research necessary to help better understand and control drug resistance in Haiti.”

Dr. Lauré Adrien, Director General of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, thanked the U.S. Government for their support in establishing the laboratory and noted that a health system cannot exist without a strong laboratory system.

Haiti has the highest incidence of TB in the Western Hemisphere. During the 2010 earthquake response, CDC supported intensified disease surveillance, which helped improve diagnosis and treatment of TB cases. The opening of the national BSL-3 laboratory reaffirms Haiti’s commitment to controlling the spread of TB and MDR-TB and addressing infectious disease threats.

 

Haiti/ Coronavirus: Three store managers in Haiti were arrested for price-gouging

On Sunday, state authorities arrested at least three supermarket and pharmacy managers for price-gouging the products.

Managers from “Fresh Market” and “Konpa Market” and “Obonsoins” pharmacies were arrested on Sunday, March 22 by police and judicial authorities, according to a reporter from Vant Bèf Info (VBI). These arrests were made during a series of inspection visits by the Minister of Trade and Industry accompanied among others by a justice of the peace and police officers.

These company managers are accused of price-gouging products in violation of the law and at the expense of the public.

They took advantage of the Coronavirus situation to increase product prices.

The authorities also visited Big Star Market but did not arrest anyone.

Representatives from Minister of Trade and Industry and other authorities of the judicial system also visited Caribbean Market in Petion-Ville.

Vant Bèf Info (VBI)

Cuba gives permission for cruise ship carrying COVID-19 patients to dock citing solidarity and health as a human right

News from Cuba

A British cruise ship carrying five passengers who have tested positive for the coronavirus was to dock in Cuba after being turned away by other countries. The MS Braemar, which is carrying six hundred passengers, most of whom are British, had been stranded at sea for two days while trying to find a country which would allow it to dock.

Several other countries refused permission, causing the British government to request help from Cuba. The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement today which said that "Given the urgency of the situation and the risk to the life of sick people, the Cuban government has decided to allow the docking of this ship."

The passengers will repatriated by air to the UK and their home countries. The Cuban government said: "These are times of solidarity, of understanding health as a human right, of reinforcing international cooperation to face our common challenges, values that are inherent in the humanistic practice of the Revolution and of our people."

Miami Workers Face Bleak Uncertainty as Restaurants Close

ZACHARY FAGENSON

The nightmare scenario arrived Tuesday morning when Miami-Dade County Deputy Mayor Jennifer Moon and Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber gathered with other local officials and business owners at Joe's Stone Crab to announce that restaurants must close all operations except delivery, takeout, and pickup in an effort to curb the growing coronavirus pandemic.

In Miami Beach, restaurant kitchens are allowed to remain open until midnight, while public gatherings of more than ten people will become a crime.

 

Conspiracy Theories, Misinformation Abound as Haitians Brace for Coronavirus

WASHINGTON / PORT-AU-PRINCE - As Haitian government officials intensify their efforts to inform and prepare the nation for the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world, residents of Petionville, a suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince, seemed woefully uninformed about the deadly disease.

“Do you know how people get infected with coronavirus?” a woman who didn’t want to appear on camera asked VOA Creole’s reporter. “It’s the result of too many sins. That’s why the disease is spreading worldwide. This is God’s way of punishing us.”

Louis Jeune Francois, a voodoo worshiper who had just attended a service believes the pandemic is a conspiracy.

“There are 21 families which rule the world. Maybe they feel the population is too big, so they found a way to reduce it. They created a virus to kill a group of people,” he said. “They especially want the virus to kill people in the poorest countries.”

Another voodoo worshiper told VOA she doesn’t believe coronavirus has anything to do with black magic.

“Coronavirus isn’t just a hex on Haiti, don’t you see China is infected with the virus too?” she said. “People who are blaming it on religion are wrong, the virus targets both Protestants and Pagans. You just need to be cautious.”

Another man who didn’t want to be identified seemed to understand the basics.

“From what I understand, the coronavirus is a virus. It’s a virus that’s transmitted through the air,” he said.

Asked what preventative measures they can take to avoid being infected, residents offered various solutions.

“Don’t shake hands, fist bump instead,” one man suggested.

 “Wash your hands, don’t touch your mouth, don’t pick your nose, use a handkerchief,” a woman selling clothing at the local open air market advised.

“I don’t buy this washing hands thing,” another man said. “Of course you have to wash your hands, because if your hand is dirty you won’t be able to use it. I was brought up to do that. But some people say you should eat limes, eat local fruits, because they are natural (and won’t harm your health).”

Expanding on the homeopathic remedy idea, a man told VOA he heard there are vegetable leaves you can boil to protect yourself from the virus.

“Boiling leaves is part of our culture,” he said.

Most people VOA Creole spoke to said the government should act more responsibly to inform the nation about the virus.

“Haiti is a free country, people do whatever they want here, but there are countries where planes are not allowed to land, transportation is restricted, but here there are no restrictions that I’m aware of,” a woman shopping at the open air market said. “We have no protections whatsoever. We’re in God’s hands.”

“If the government forbids groups of 500 people or more to meet, I will know that if I see that happening I should not attend,” one man said. “But if the number they give is 1,000 or 2,000 then I’ll go ahead and attend because it’s hard to get that many people in one place around here.”

Haiti’s Public Health Minister Marie Greta Roy Clement announced Wednesday that the government has stepped up efforts to keep coronavirus out. The measures include screening at the nation’s airports and official border crossings, training for health professionals and journalists, and public service announcements airing on radio and television.

Renan Toussaint in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report.

 

THOUSANDS ATTENDED MIAMI GAY FESTIVAL AND TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS LATER

By Julian Shen-Berro

As the coronavirus continues to spread and disrupt life worldwide, one festival is finding the memory of its celebrations tinged by the outbreak.

The Winter Party Festival, an annual, weeklong LGBTQ event held in Miami, drew thousands from across the country when it kicked off earlier this month. But though it ended March 10, in the week following the event several attendees have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to festival organizers.

“We know there are many places people could have been exposed before and after Winter Party as this virus has developed, but we wanted to make this information public as soon as possible,” Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, which organized the festival, said in a statement Monday. “The health and safety of anyone who participates in any Task Force event is of great importance to us.”

The festival, which began March 4 and drew 10,000 attendees throughout the week, predates the current wave of event cancellations that have swept through the nation and ranged from sporting leagues to tech conferences. In her statement, Carey emphasized that event organizers “made the most informed decision at the time, following all official guidance available at the time.”

Event organizers took additional precautions during the festival, distributing 10,000 hand sanitizer bottles and hygiene information to attendees. It remains unclear whether the virus was present in attendees for the duration of the festival, as none experienced symptoms at the time, but health officials warn the virus can still be transmitted before symptoms occur. While incubation period estimates range from 1 to 14 days, it is most commonly around 5 days, according to the World Health Organization.