Cuba Imposes New Restrictions in Havana to Slow COVID-19 Spread

People wearing masks due to the new coronavirus pandemic stand near an area that was gated off to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in Havana, Cuba, Feb. 22, 2021.

Cuba's capital city of Havana is imposing a series of streets closures in densely populated areas of the city in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

The move is the latest effort by the island nation to clamp down on the rise in COVID infections in Havana, which has one of the highest infection rates in the country.

The Associated Press reports authorities are using barricades to limit access and control movement in areas such the municipality of Centro Habana, where not everyone is following the social distancing protocol.

Cuba is also preparing to launch its mass inoculation program next month, using its Soberana 02 vaccine, which is one of four vaccines being developed there.

So far, Cuba has confirmed more than 44,500 COVID-19 infections and 296 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center.