TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION TO PROHIBIT TRAVEL TO AND FROM CUBA DUE TO POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS CASES IN CUBA AND THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT�S UNWILLINGNESS TO BE FORTHRIGHT ABOUT SUCH CASES

BODY
WHEREAS, the 2019 novel coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV-2, has caused an outbreak of illness (COVID-19) that started in December 2019 in China and spread to other countries; and
WHEREAS, on January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency; and
WHEREAS, today, more than 3,000 people have died globally from�the illness, while more than 89,000 infections have been confirmed in at least 57 countries, including the United States; and
WHEREAS, people who get sick from the new coronavirus may have mild symptoms, such as a cough or fever, or more serious ones, such as pneumonia; and
WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and many experts have shared that one of the ways to contain the virus is to monitor and quarantine people who have traveled to places where many people have gotten sick with COVID-19 in order to protect their health and the health of other people in the community; and


WHEREAS, as a result, it is vital that countries are forthright when they identify positive cases of the virus; and
WHEREAS, although the Cuban press continues to deny rumors about the existence of COVID-19 in Cuba, there are reports that three Cubans returned from Italy with symptoms of respiratory disease; and
WHEREAS, this is not the first time rumors have circulated about possible patients with the illness, nonetheless, Cuban medical officials insist there are no confirmed cases despite recognizing the detection of people suspected of suffering from virus; and
WHEREAS, the trade and diplomatic relations between China and Cuba have significantly strengthened in recent years and Cuba�s proximity to South Florida makes such relations especially concerning; and�
WHEREAS, furthermore, given the rogue nature of these two governments, which are known for not being forthcoming with certain information, we must be on special alert and take all preventive steps; and�
WHEREAS, the risk of the pandemic is far too great to continue to allow travel to and from countries that are not presumably forthright and are not well equipped to detect and contain COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, accordingly, this Board would like to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit travel to and from Cuba due to possible coronavirus cases in Cuba and the Cuban government�s unwillingness to be forthright about such cases,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit travel to and from Cuba due to possible coronavirus cases in Cuba and the Cuban government�s unwillingness to be forthright about such cases.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation and the United States Secretary of Transportation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the action set forth in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2020 Federal Legislative Package to include this item.