Cuban dons full-body cardboard shield against coronavirus

Retired nurse salvaged a box and cut arm holes and a window for her face

Published: June 19, 2020 17:53 Reuters and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Editor

1 of 14

Havana: Ever since the novel coronavirus reached Cuba, a tall cardboard box with arms and legs can be seen tottering around a Havana suburb, popping into the bakery or butchers, or browsing the newspaper stand. Image Credit: Reuters

2 of 14

This is Feridia Rojas, 82, who decided to build and wear mobile housing to shield herself from the virus that is particularly deadly to seniors in a country where personal protective equipment is not sold at stores. Image Credit: Reuters

3 of 14

"I am at home, what about you?" reads a message on her box, in a witty nod to Cuba's coronavirus slogan "Stay at home." Image Credit: Reuters

4 of 14

The widower, whose daughters both live in the United States, said that with no one to run her errands she had to find a way to do so safely by herself, illustrating the resourcefulness and humor for which Cubans are renowned. Image Credit: Reuters

5 of 14

"I was worried about the asymptomatic cases who could cough just as I passed," she said. "So I thought: I'll do a little house with a cardboard box and wear it." Image Credit: Reuters

6 of 14

The retired Cuban nurse salvaged the box from the pharmacy in her Palatino neighborhood and cut arm holes and a window for her face that she covered in clear plastic. Image Credit: Reuters

7 of 14

On top, she glued cake boxes to make it look more like a house with a roof than a flat-topped apartment building. Image Credit: Reuters

8 of 14

"She's very creative," chuckled her neighbor Zayda Echemendia, adding that Rojas still helped locals with injections at home and the like. Image Credit: Reuters

9 of 14

While her mobile home may be less necessary as Cuba's outbreak appears to have come under control, Rojas said it still provided necessary comic relief. Image Credit: Reuters

10 of 14

"In the midst of this pandemic, this stress and anxiety all the time, my little home makes people laugh," she said. Image Credit: Reuters

11 of 14

Retired nurse Feridia Rojas, 82, wears cardboard shaped into a house to protect herself from the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba. Image Credit: Reuters

12 of 14

Retired nurse Feridia Rojas, 82, wears cardboard shaped into a house to protect herself from the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba. Image Credit: Reuters

13 of 14

Retired nurse Feridia Rojas, 82, wears cardboard shaped into a house to protect herself from the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba. Image Credit: Reuters

14 of 14

Retired nurse Feridia Rojas, 82, wears cardboard shaped into a house to protect herself from the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba. Image Credit: Reuters

Photos News

Cuban dons full-body cardboard shield against coronavirus

More From Photos

Photos: Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival kicks off

US: Students clash with sticks at UCLA campus around pro-Palestinian protests

Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University

Judge fines Trump $9,000 for contempt in hush money trial, threatens jail

GULFNEWS SECTIONS

Trending

Cuban dons full-body cardboard shield against coronavirus

More From Photos

Photos: Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival kicks off

US: Students clash with sticks at UCLA campus around pro-Palestinian protests

Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University

Judge fines Trump $9,000 for contempt in hush money trial, threatens jail

GULFNEWS SECTIONS