Good news from Cuba as COVID-19 is contained

Cuba has been a success story in its fight against COVID-19 as its robust public health service kicked into action following the first few cases of the virus that were detected on 20 March. Most of the country has now come out of lockdown as Cuba’s army of medical staff have worked hard to control the spread of the virus, carrying out door to door consultations and widespread testing. Bishop Ricardo Pereira Díaz, the head of church of the Methodist Church in Cuba, shares what God is doing in Cuba:

“The Churches are in good health. In the provinces, the Superintendents have been visiting local ministers regularly and everyone is well along with their families.

The last time I spoke to the Minister of Religious Affairs, she said that the state will gradually open the borders. In the first instance, they will allow tourists to travel to closed off places such as the Northern Cays of Cuba and some hotels in Varadero where tourists can stay in the facilities without being in contact with people from the wider community. Then in a second phase, they will open the borders for others. What the Cuban authorities have in mind is that upon arrival, people will self-isolate for 72 hours in the same place, before traveling to the interior of the country. I think that we will begin to receive the visits of some brothers and sisters from abroad in the second phase, as many people who visit us usually stay in one place. Travelling throughout the country will be permitted in the third stage.

We have learned some lessons from the current state of isolation, which is now being lifted. Above all, how the majesty and power of God is above all disease or difficulty. The Church has been blessed during this time and we have many testimonies of healing and provision during the lockdown.”

One such testimony is of this little 7 month year old boy, whose father is Revd Carlos Manuel Meriño Ramos and serves the Guabina Methodist Church, Las Tunas, in central-eastern Cuba. When the little boy started to show symptoms of COVID-19, he was taken to hospital and immediately tested. His tested positive, and he and his family were made to self-isolate at home. The entire family was tested a few days later, but the results were negative. The little boy was re tested, and his results also came out negative. This greatly surprised the doctors, so they transported the entire family to a specialist hospital in the Holguin province because they were not convinced that the second test results were correct. The entire family was again re-tested, and the results came out negative once again!