🇬🇧 The new normal

I’m sure you’ve all already heard about new regulations regarding travelling to Cuba. There has been a lot of excitment on social media in the last 2 days and other bloggers have already said it all. That’s why I’m not going to write a lot about all the Covid tests and stuff. I’m going to focus on what does that really mean to all of us and why are we still waiting with booking our flight.

Good news

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we are not excited at all. We were waiting for some good news. And finally after long months there’s a light in the tunnel which is great. So many people have been separated by the pandemic and changing their flight 100 times. So here we have the news we are all waiting for – we can go to Cuba now.

Why aren’t we over the moon then?

We really want to see the family as soon as posible trust me. This year hasn’t been easy on us. But for now we really feel like there are more questions than answers. We all will be tested on arrival. Great. But what happens if somebody from your flight (really posible especially on those big planes from Europe) is tested positive. What will happen with all the rest? Quarantine I suppose. But where? In the hotel or your house? What with people like me, who are family but tourists at the same time? Nobody knows. We don’t to risk spending half of our time in Cuba separated and in the hotel. That’s not why we are flying for 12h.

Also Covid situation is very dinamic. Now Havana and Trinidad are closed but what if they close the province you are currently at? Will you be able to stay? Will moving to another place be enough?

Also what if they close the borders again? Will they force their citizens to stay like they did in March? I know people who were waiting for months to go home abroad. Will I have to go home alone?

Until half of these questions are answered we are not booking any flight.

What the new normal means for tourists?

Ok, so these are te questions that are bothering me. But I don’t travel to Cuba for holidays anymore. So I don’t mind if I can’t see Havana or Trinidad. I rarely go there anyway. But it does matter for people who choose Cuba for their holiday, especially of they going there for the first time.

Ok, let’s assume that you made it to Cuba, tested negative and you don’t have to quarantine yay! The goverment announced that individual tourist can now stay in Casas Particulares. Great right?

Yes but….

As some of you know, half of our family has Casas Particulares in Vinales. This is actually how we met. And what do they say?

I spoke to my brother in law and his wife last night and people are afraid to open and not because of Coronavirus.

You see, in March when all tourist were sent home and Cuba closed their borders the owners of Casas Particulares had a change to suspend their licence because of Covid (they have to pay monthly for their license depending on number of rooms their have, in their cas 130CUC). Now since the tourism is coming back they can get it back but….they were told that if they reasume their licence they can’t suspend it again. Than means paying every month even if you don’t have any clients. And since nobody knows how many tourist will decide to travel to Cuba people are afraid to open and stay empty. Most of them are waiting for reservations to see if it’s worth it. It means that accommodation base will be very limited and you favorite Casa may not be available this time around.

What about the trasport? This one is hard to say. Viazul’s schedule maitains suspended. The same as Cuban Omnibus Nacionales. There is no information when traveling on bus will posible. Yellow TAXI are working normally (govermental official agency) but private transport may beb hard to get as well. Why? All the drivers changed their licenses from the one that allows you to travel with tourist and drive with Cubans now. How many of them will decide to get their tourist licence back? No idea.

Also a lot places will remain closed. Private bars and restaurant will open (keeping the distance etc) but places like Polo Montanez (local place with live music in Vinales) will not.

Here the choice is yours. I wouldn’t go to Cuba now if it was my first time, but from the other hand maybe you don’t know what you’re missing. Maybe those who go there every year will be dissapointed now since their favorite places will be closed. No idea.

Whatever you choose stay safe. Thing will get back to normal eventually ❤