Since the beginning of the day and until late afternoon, Ramón Antonio Hechevarría Espinosa directs his work completely to the Defense Council 310504. He does not need a schedule because every day has its specificities and until the smallest details are resolved he does not return home. His responsibility is not small, it is a tribute to the cardinal task of these times: to face the COVID-19, from the assurance of the main needs of the population.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- In the classrooms of the Andrés Leyva primary school, in the Airport area, a great force is gathered to investigate the most specific issues, whether it be the investigation in the community to find people with symptoms related to COVID-19 or the supply of agricultural products. Under the commands of Ramón are the eight delegates of the districts of the area, in addition to representatives of the agencies involved with the contingency, such as Health, Education, Trade and Gastronomy, Agriculture, Aqueduct, Communal and Inspection bodies.
From the moment we heard the news of the convocation of the Defense Councils in the News, we automatically knew that we were already active," says Ramon. It is true that a similar situation had never arisen, but the protocols existed and we were not unaware of the actions needed by the province to guarantee the safety of its inhabitants.
We set ourselves the premise of assuring Primary Care to the four thousand 475 framed houses in the area, of course, today they are all already inspected and we continue checking them constantly. According to the characteristics of the place, we established the priority of protecting the elderly and the rest of the people who suffer from chronic diseases that are risk factors.
Our presence here is not for observation, we were called to act in favor of local demands. We have 21 people with social assistance who we help by taking their lunch and food home to prevent them from going out into the street. This task is carried out by the social workers we have linked to, and we must remark that the measure has had a very positive impact.
We have a high percentage of the elderly population living alone, more than 340 people who need to be attended to at this time when social isolation is essential for them. We have created links with the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR in Spanish) so that a neighbor can support them and run errands for them, but we have not been able to reach all of them.
This situation imposes a daily challenge on us because the locals have very specific characteristics due to their age group and are not always willing to help, nor are they receptive, in any case, no one will be left unprotected.
BRINGING FOOD CLOSER TO THE POPULAR COUNCILS
Defense Council 310504, which covers the vicinity of the Ferrocarril, Casa Piedra and the Aeropuerto neighborhoods, deals with tangible limitations that hinder its action when it comes to guaranteeing the food of the people.
The Aeropuerto area, for example, does not have any Gastronomy establishments, which creates serious problems for families who now have children and adolescents at home all day.
Hechevarría Espinosa points out that demand is far below supply, but says they have planned to bring food to the neighborhoods, in line with their availability.
We know that these are difficult times, but we have managed to get Jesús Argüelles Semi-boarding School to cook every day for 100 people. We are talking about rice, stew, food and the main course, which can be eggs, croquettes, or something else. There, we give priority to the neediest, but it is sold to the village until it reaches them. Our intention is to extend this offer, says the president of the Defense Council.
He also explains that every week they are receiving a thermos of syrup that is placed in different points, for the benefit of several families. He assures that a strategy has been established to supply at least three times to the four small squares in the area, thanks to the efforts of the Reception and Distribution System and other productive forms.
THE COMMITMENT TO WATCH OVER EVERYONE
The hustle and bustle at the school now becoming a meeting place does not surprise the locals. There are always people there with different positions and functions whose only goal is to take care of the well-being of the people, especially the most vulnerable.
The negative incidents that have occurred to date are listed: inhabitants at risk without the mask, inspectors from the anti-vector campaign also unprotected, centers without the conditions created for the disinfection of visitors... Nothing goes unnoticed by the collective-sized lens.
These are times to respect the laws and enforce them, we have a civic responsibility. Children, the elderly, pregnant women and the physically handicapped should go to queues to buy anything, says Ramón. The Defense Council has the compromise of taking care of the people even of their bad choices.
