Help us keep OnCuba alive The data on COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in Cuba continue as follows: 11 new infections as a result of the 3,696 tests carried out in the country, the number of active patients increased to 164 and, as in 19 days ago, no deaths from the disease were reported. All were Cuban, according to the health authorities’ report today, 10 are contacts of confirmed cases and in one individual the source of infection is not specified. By region, they are limited to the municipalities of Bauta (Artemisa), Marianao, Playa, 10 de Octubre and Plaza de la Revolución (Havana) and Camajuaní (Villa Clara). https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1289190549543620608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1289190549543620608%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-mas-de-3600-pruebas-11-fueron-positivas%2F Men predominated over women (6-5) and nine people were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. No patient was discharged yesterday, and one person was still in critical condition. By age groups, those affected are classified as follows: from 20 to 39 years, 5 cases; from 40 to 60, 4; and under 20 years old, 2. At midnight yesterday, 423 people were hospitalized and 3,450 were under primary healthcare surveillance. With these tests, Cuba has processed a total of 264,147, of which 2,608 have been positive.

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba will produce only 7,000 tons of beans in 2020, which represents just 10% of the annual demand on the island, said the head of the department of various crops of the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG), Yojan García, quoted by the official media. Of the planned 46,000 hectares planted to beans this year, the number dropped to 23,500, of which more than half were affected by a lack of fertilizers and pesticides, and 7,500 were completely devastated by a pest, the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency reported. García explained that only 8% of the sown quantity received fertilizers, while pesticides reached just 16%, which added to the appearance of the bean flower thrips pest affected yields of 1.15 tons per hectare to only 0.6. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/bean-pest-threatens-cubans-table/ The official attributed the deficit in bean production to the decrease in the level of diesel and the lack of inputs, fertilizers and pesticides, caused by the “intensification of the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade” against the island. The MINAG official reported that to alleviate the shortage of the product so demanded on the table of Cubans, “a considerable level of cowpea beans (Vigna unguiculata), better known as...

Help us keep OnCuba alive On Wednesday night Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the south of the island of Puerto Rico, in the Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of up to 85 kilometers per hour. Meteorologists from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) project that it will pass over the island of Hispaniola this Thursday and that it will continue its trajectory to the south of the Bahamas on Friday morning. The storm will lose strength as it crosses Hispaniola, but will strengthen again on Friday. The Cuban Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) issued at six in the morning today the second Tropical Cyclone Warning, in which it warns that the system now has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour, with faster gusts, and its central pressure is 1003 hectoPascal. Isaias’ center was then estimated at 17.4 degrees North latitude and 68.2 degrees West longitude, a position that places it about 210 kilometers east southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is heading close to the northwest at 33 kilometers per hour. Despite the fact that it would lose strength when crossing Hispaniola, meteorologists warn that the organism will begin to reorganize when it goes out to sea in...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Although the number of hospitalizations for the SARS-CoV-2 virus amounted to 400 and that of people under surveillance in their homes reached 3,436, in the last 24 hours the new infections decreased to nine, as reported today by Cuban health authorities. During his presentation to the press, in which Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology, seemed remarkably upset, he said that the effort being made by millions of people could not be destroyed by “an unruly group,” and warned that measures will be taken so that the pandemic doesn’t get out of control on the island. Regarding the new registered cases, he warned that all were Cuban, six contacts of confirmed cases and three with sources of infection abroad. Eight of them were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1288824107778310146 Their geographical location corresponds to the capital’s municipalities of Habana del Este, La Lisa, Guanabacoa, San Miguel del Padrón, Arroyo Naranjo and Boyeros. The contagions from abroad occurred in Venezuela and the Bahamas. Women predominated over men (6-3) among those positive to COVID-19 today, and by age group they are as follows: from 41 to 59 years, four cases; under 20 and 20...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The international airports Vilo Acuña in Cayo Largo del Sur, Abel Santamaría, in the city of Santa Clara, and Jardines del Rey, in the northern keys of Ciego de Ávila, are ready to receive international travelers after being certified for it by the Cuban authorities. This certification allows them to begin their operations by implementing the sanitary protocols established in the face of COVID-19, at a time when a great deal of Cuba is already in phase three of the de-escalation and could receive tourists in several keys adjacent to the main island. Luis Alexander Ochoa, deputy director of the Cuban Aviation Corporation (CACSA), affirmed on state television that all companies in the Cuban aeronautical system have a protocol approved by the Ministry of Public Health and a multidisciplinary team “to guarantee the safety, quality and well-being of all passengers” arriving at international airports. The new regulations establish that “every passenger who enters the air terminals will be subjected to a double check of body temperature.” In addition, “those who arrive from abroad will be required to deliver their affidavit of health, based on a model previously delivered by the airline,” and will be subjected...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The situation has become complicated for Cuba, even when there are no new deaths from COVID-19. Health authorities report today that the infections registered in the last 24 hours rose to 33, while 326 people are hospitalized and 3339 are under primary healthcare surveillance in their homes. All cases are Cuban; 24 were contacts of confirmed cases and the source of infection in seven of the 33 occurred abroad. The source could not be confirmed in two individuals. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1288474253436825601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1288474253436825601%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-nuevos-contagios-aumentan-a-33-once-de-ellos-no-sobrepasan-los-20-anos%2F The individuals whose source of contagion is abroad correspond to the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Sancti Spíritus and Havana. They came from Venezuela, Mexico and Costa Rica. Fourteen people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Havana, in the municipalities of Plaza de la Revolución, Boyeros, Centro Habana, La Lisa, Marianao and 10 de Octubre. Artemisa’s infections were detected in the municipalities of Bauta and Caimito. Women predominated over men (14-19) and, by age group, those affected classified as follows: from 41 to 59, 14 cases; under 20, eleven; 20 to 40, five; and over 60, three; 19 were asymptomatic. With the 3,235 tests carried out yesterday, Cuba has reached 256,996 since March, of which 2,588...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The checkbook, the well-known document for the collection of retirement pensions and social security in Cuba, will disappear as of August, when these pensions will start being paid through electronic payrolls. Up to 80% of the more than 1.6 million Cuban social security beneficiaries have so far collected their pensions using the checkbook, a means that easily deteriorates or gets lost, explained the deputy director of the National Institute of Social Security (INASS), Haydée Franco, quoted by the newspaper Trabajadores. With the disabling of the document “the insecurity of the retiree also ceases” as well as “the annual financing of more than 3 million pesos for its renewal” and the “cumbersome procedures” for those who used it, added Franco. Starting next month, retirees will only need their identity card to collect their pension and, if they have one, they can use the checkbook matrix that they used until now, “because it shows the bank control number that will serve as a reference to collect the pension in the event of errors in the identity document,” says the publication. https://twitter.com/50Trabajadores/status/1287723501835694080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287723501835694080%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-jubila-la-chequera-las-pensiones-se-pagaran-por-nominas-electronicas%2F The new measure eliminates the payment of pensions in grocery stores, used in some rural areas,...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Mercabal, the first wholesale market authorized in Cuba to sell products to private businesses and non-agricultural cooperatives dedicated to gastronomy, has signed more than 200 contracts in just three days since its opening. Located in Nuevo Vedado, in Havana, the new market will only sell merchandise in Cuban pesos (CUP), through a magnetic card, to owners of cafes, restaurants, bars, bakeries and pastry stores, the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency reported. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/gobierno-cubano-da-luz-verde-a-las-exportaciones-importaciones-y-al-mercado-mayorista-para-el-sector-privado/ Mercabal’s administrator, Luis Hernández, explained that market sale services include transportation of products for customers who ask for it, “according to a distance fee, and always in CUP.” He said that the market has expanded the quantity and diversity of its food offer, whose prices have a 20% discount in order to improve the quality and service to the population. For now, in the market offers―always in large formats or volumes―rice, flour, eggs, oil, sugar, mineral water, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, pasta, shrimp, chocolate and meat products, Hernández explained. Cited by the source, the market administrator said that the per capita quantity of merchandise offered will depend on the availability of those products. He explained that to buy Cristal beer, customers must hand...

Help us keep OnCuba alive With deaths from the disease contained for more than 15 days, Cuba is facing new infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which yesterday, however, amounted to 23, according to information provided today by the health authorities. The information was registered after 3,346 tests were made across the country and it was known that the number of active cases is now 114. The 23 positive cases diagnosed in the last 24 hours are Cuban, 22 of them were contacts of confirmed cases and only in one individual was the source of infection located abroad. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1288100159486926849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1288100159486926849%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-decesos-contenidos-pero-los-nuevos-contagios-superan-la-veintena%2F The imported case corresponds to a 68-year-old man, resident in San Luis municipality (Pinar del Río), from the United States. The rest of the new infections were reported from Bauta (Artemisa), and Marianao, Habana del Este, Centro Habana and La Lisa (Havana). There were more men than women (14-9) and by age group, the most affected were: 20 to 39 years, with nine cases; from 40 to 59, with seven cases; less than 20, with four cases and more than 60 with three; 13 were asymptomatic. At midnight on Monday the 27th, there were no serious or critical cases, and 153 people...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The Itolizumab monoclonal antibody, a creation of the Cuban Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) that has shown its value in patients infected with coronavirus, was officially approved for use against this disease by the Cuban regulatory authority. The Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED) confirmed this Friday the authorization for the emergency use of the drug as part of the protocol for the treatment of seriously and critically ill COVID-19 patients, the island’s media reported. Itolizumab “passed the preclinical stage of its research and proved to be safe for use in humans, in diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, which have a mechanism and behavior similar to COVID-19,” reported official television, quoted by the Cubadebate site. With its use, “the cytokine storm pattern produced by the disease caused by the new coronavirus decreases considerably and patients improve their respiratory capacity,” said CECMED. Dr. Kalet Monzón, deputy director of the CIM, commented that the approval not only officially authorizes its use in Cuban protocol, but also opens the door for it to be used in other countries. “This result will revitalize the research we are doing on this...

Help us keep OnCuba alive This Saturday the last group of health collaborators who remained in Mexico working with patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus for three months returned to Cuba. Composed of 578 specialists, including 265 doctors, 285 nurses, seven graduates in hygiene and epidemiology and ten electromedical engineers, the entire brigade is already on the island, when the third group of members of the Henry Reeve contingent arrived. Miladys Orraca Castillo, the leader of the group, pointed out that it was a very disciplined work team, and that of the several occasions they have completed a mission, this has been the return they have felt the most from the emotional point of view, a note from the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency specified. Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Mexican government “to the Cuban doctors and nurses who came to save lives in our country.” https://twitter.com/m_ebrard/status/1287049905215803392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287049905215803392%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fciencia%2Fsalud-en-cuba%2Fregresa-de-mexico-ultimo-grupo-de-colaboradores-cubanos-de-la-salud%2F The entire brigade was made up of 578 specialists, including 265 doctors, 285 nurses, seven graduates in hygiene and epidemiology, and ten electromedical engineers from of the country’s fifteen provinces. During their stay, the Cuban specialists treated 54,000 people, including 43,000 new coronavirus positive...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba experienced a further increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus contagions this Sunday, after the already worrying results from Saturday. Health authorities report 37 new cases, 26 of them from Havana; 11 had the source of contagion abroad. The Havana cases are distributed in the municipalities of La Lisa, where a new transmission event is reported, 10 de Octubre, Marianao, Arroyo Naranjo, San Miguel del Padrón, Centro Habana, Habana del Este and Cerro. The 10 cases of Artemisa correspond to Bauta and one of the individuals whose source of contagion occurred abroad corresponds to the Isla de la Juventud. All are Cuban and 26 are contacts of confirmed cases; 20 are men and 17 women; 29 were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1287747534606278657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287747534606278657%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fotro-dia-en-alza-suben-a-37-los-nuevos-contagios-de-covid-19-en-cuba%2F By age groups, the most affected were: from 40 to 59 years, with 20 cases; under 20, with seven, and from 20 to 39, as well as over 60, with five each. No seriously or critically ill cases were reported. There were also no deaths during the day due to COVID-19. At midnight yesterday, 397 people were under primary healthcare surveillance. A total of 3,212 samples were studied yesterday, with which the...

Most of the new cases correspond to two outbreaks located in Bauta, Artemisa province, and Havana, which accumulated 14 cases of the 17 infected.

No deaths were reported and there were four discharges. Thus, the number of fatal victims of COVID-19 in Cuba remains at 87 and that of recovered patients amounted to 2,345, more than 94% of those infected to date.

Help us keep OnCuba alive The Cuban health authorities today reported three new cases of COVID-19, after performing 3,075 tests during a day without deaths and with a slight increase in the number of hospitalized people or under surveillance in their homes. They are Cubans; one was a contact of confirmed cases; in another individual the source of infection is not specified and a third had the source of infection abroad. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1286651210674700289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1286651210674700289%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-tres-nuevos-contagios-repartidos-entre-la-habana-y-artemisa%2F The man whose contagion occurred outside the island is 43 years old, and is a resident of Cerro. He came from Monterrey, Mexico at the time of his diagnosis. The remaining two are from the municipalities of Regla (Havana) and Bauta (Artemisa). Two of the three new infections are men, two were asymptomatic and, by age range, one belongs to the group of 20 to 30 years, and another is over 60. At midnight yesterday, 211 were hospitalized and 306 were under primary healthcare surveillance. Cuba has processed to date a total of 240,894 tests, of which 2,469 have been positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive More than 539,000 Cubans made reservations in hotels open for the domestic market on the island after the resumption of activities in the tourism sector after months of shutdown due to COVID-19, Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García said this Tuesday on the Mesa Redonda television program. Currently 125 of these facilities operate for Cuban tourists, while reservations are marketed in more than 230 points of sale at the beginning of the post-COVID-19 de-escalation, said the minister quoted by Cubadebate. https://twitter.com/MinturCuba/status/1285725296377962496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285725296377962496%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Feconomia%2Fturismo%2Fmas-de-medio-millon-de-cubanos-reservaron-en-hoteles-tras-inicio-de-la-desescalada-post-covid%2F García announced the possibility that starting in August the sale of all tourist offers for Cubans will also begin in freely convertible currency―along with the convertible peso (CUC)―, through debit cards backed by bank accounts, a system already used to market various products in stores especially opened for this. “We will also keep all the options in CUC, but if someone wants to pay in foreign currency, they can do so. To encourage this option, we will give a 10% discount,” said the minister, who said that the stores dedicated to international tourism will also sell their products in foreign currencies, “always in accordance with the country’s provisions.” https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/steps-and-keys-for-reopening-cuban-tourism/ As for the camping...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba continues its fight against COVID-19 and, according to information from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) today, there were four infections in the last 24 hours, after having carried out 3,002 tests throughout the country. The four are Cuban, two contacts of confirmed cases and in two individuals the source of infection is not yet specified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1286291156335235072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1286291156335235072%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-hoy-con-cuatro-casos-de-coronavirus-todos-identificados-en-la-habana%2F By age group, two belong to the range of 20 to 40 years; one does not exceed 20 and the other is classified between 41 and 60. There were equal numbers of men and women among the positive cases this time and, of the total, two were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. With the 13 patients who were discharged yesterday, 2,339 have recovered on the island, where only one person from Havana is reported in a stable critical condition. However, at midnight on Wednesday, 172 people were hospitalized and 237 were under primary healthcare surveillance. No deaths from the pandemic have been reported for eleven days. With yesterday’s 3,002 tests, Cuba has processed a total of 237,819 samples, of which 2,466 were positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive The new stores selling in freely convertible currency, whose opening was announced last week by the Cuban government as part of a package of economic measures to face the post-COVID-19 stage, started operating this Monday throughout the island. There are a total of 72 establishments that, according to what was announced, opened their doors for the sale of food and toiletries (57 stores), as well as hardware products (15), with prices in USD and payment through debit cards associated with bank accounts in freely convertible currency. https://www.facebook.com/ElChagoSantiagodeCuba/posts/4629188763773404 Of these, 14 are located in different Havana municipalities and the remaining 58 are distributed throughout the country―at least two per province―, belonging to the state chains Cimex and Tiendas Caribe. They are joining the existing establishments for the sale of household appliances, electric motorcycles and car components in freely convertible currency, opened last October with the intention of injecting foreign currency into the battered Cuban economy. On a tour of several of the stores in the Cuban capital, particularly those located in the municipalities of Centro Habana and Old Havana, OnCuba was able to verify a variable influx of buyers, corresponding to the products on sale. While...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cubans and foreigners residing in Cuba will now be able to receive international money orders of up to 1,000 dollars from Peru and Colombia, according to the Correos de Cuba Business Group. The postal authorities of the three countries agreed to establish this service, “according to the provisions of the Money Order Agreement of the Universal Postal Union,” specifies a note from the Correos de Cuba quoted by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency. The official note adds that “postal operators from Spain, Chile, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic are also incorporated into that agreement,” and affirms that “Correos de Cuba continues to carry out feasibility studies and negotiations with postal operators from other countries to expand that service.” https://www.facebook.com/CorreosdeCuba/posts/1344968912373615 In the case of money orders sent from Peru and Colombia, these may be collected the same day they are sent, “in any of the Correos de Cuba postal units that provide this service, for which recipients must only present their personal identification and the secret code sent by the sender,” according to the ACN, which published a list of the units enabled for collecting the money orders. Among these are an office...

Help us keep OnCuba alive here After 60 years of enmity, diplomatic and political fights, on July 20, 2015, Cuba and the United States reestablished their relations. A period of hope was beginning, but that time barely lasted two years. The coming to power of Donald Trump stopped the “thaw” and, with it, the perspectives of thousands of Cuban families, true protagonists of these times of more than half a century of disagreements between the two shores. These are some of their faces and stories compiled by EFE. “I thought I could travel to Miami if my mother gets sick or dies” Photographer José Alberto Figueroa, 74, during his interview with EFE on July 14, in Havana. Photo: Ernesto Mastrascusa/EFE. “I was left alone at 20 in Cuba,” says José Alberto Figueroa, photographer. His parents and siblings emigrated to the United States in the 1960s, but he stayed behind to pursue his passion, photography. He started as a disciple of renowned Alberto Korda and finally made a name for himself in the profession. For decades he communicated through letters and semi-clandestine calls with his mother and siblings. “I was frowned upon. You were pointed out in the neighborhood’s Committee for...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Health authorities report today that in Cuba the numbers of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections rose in the last 24 hours after the diagnosis of 13 positive cases in Artemisa and Villa Clara. Twelve of these cases are confined to the municipality of Bauta, Artemisa, where, according to Dr. Francisco Durán in his appearance before the press, there was a recently detected focus, “as a consequence of violation of the health measures.” https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1285929966824292352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285929966824292352%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdespues-de-varios-dias-de-calma-los-nuevos-casos-de-covid-19-en-cuba-se-elevan-a-13%2F They are Cubans; 12 of them contacts of confirmed cases. Only in one individual was the source of contagion not specified and this is the case of Placetas, Villa Clara. Seven were women; and of the total infections, eight were asymptomatic. By age ranges, 5 belong to the group between 20 and 40 years old, while five were under 20, the same number as in the 41 to 60 age group; 5 patients were discharged yesterday, while one person was reported critically ill. For ten days there have been no reports of deaths due to the new coronavirus in Cuba, where until midnight on Tuesday 21, 181 patients were still hospitalized and 254 persons were under primary healthcare surveillance. For yesterday, 2,714 tests were...

Help us keep OnCuba alive After a day where for the first time since March there were no COVID-19 positive cases, the health authorities today reported three new infections, detected in Havana and Artemisa. These are Cubans, one contact of a confirmed case; another contracted the disease abroad and, in the third individual, the source of infection is not specified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1285568383652700164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285568383652700164%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdespues-de-una-jornada-en-cero-cuba-reporta-tres-nuevos-contagios-a-la-covid-19-de-la-habana-y-artemisa%2F The person with a source of contagion abroad resides in the Havana municipality of Plaza and came from Mexico. The remaining two cases were identified in the municipalities of Arroyo Naranjo and Bauta. Women predominated over men and only one individual was asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. By age group, two are between 20-39 years old and one between 40-59 years old; 136 people were hospitalized and 146 are under primary healthcare surveillance, in a day where 2,746 tests were made throughout the country to detect the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Again there were no deaths due to the new coronavirus and two people were discharged; the number of people recovered from the disease in Cuba amounts to 2,321. Help us keep OnCuba alive

Help us keep OnCuba alive  On July 16, the Council of Ministers approved an economic strategy in order to counteract the effects of the economic crisis that Cuba is undergoing, exacerbated as a result of the new coronavirus pandemic, and to boost the economy: “Economic-social strategy for boosting the economy and dealing with the world crisis caused by COVID-19.” As announced in the Mesa Redonda television program by Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil, this strategy “is aimed at eliminating the obstacles that operate in the economy, but maintaining and defending the concept of planning.” For Cuban economist Tamarys Lien Bahamonde, nine fundamental aspects can be identified in the strategy proposed to face the crisis: Centralized planning; Import substitution; Regulation of market mechanisms. (For non-economists, planning is usually geared toward correcting market distortions); Complementarity of multiple economic actors: “self-employed,” cooperatives and the state sector; Revitalize domestic demand; Autonomy of the state business sector; Implement key aspects of the resizing of the non-state sector. (It is not yet clear which ones exactly, although ideas such as the possibilities of exporting and importing appear among the changes); Competitiveness (is encouraged through savings, efficiency, and motivation for work); and Active environmental policy....

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuban dancer, choreographer and director Carlos Acosta was named a member of the Board of Governors of The Royal Ballet School, the Birmingham Royal Ballet reported on its Twitter account. “I hope to bring a broader perspective to the school’s future direction and plans. The presence and influence of the Birmingham Royal Ballet on the Board provides a golden opportunity to celebrate our historic relationship with The Royal Ballet School,” said Acosta, quoted by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency. https://twitter.com/BRB/status/1283805042575912961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1283805042575912961%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcultura%2Fdanza%2Fcarlos-acosta-a-la-junta-de-gobernadores-del-royal-ballet-school%2F The president of The Royal Ballet School, Christopher Rodrigues, was pleased to welcome the Cuban to the Board, who has been director of the Birmingham company since January. Rodrigues commented that Acosta’s perspective as the new director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet “will prove invaluable” in helping the school maintain its relationship with that dance company. For his part, the artistic director of The Royal Ballet School, Christopher Powney, was delighted that the famous dancer bring his energy and commitment to dance. “I look forward to working with Carlos, as director of one of our great companies, and also receiving his support as Governor. He will continue being an inspiration to our young...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The news can’t be better for Cuba today: zero new infections, zero deaths, zero serious and critical cases due to the SARS-Cov-2 virus. This is why Dr. Francisco Durán again asked permission to take off his mask during his appearance before the press, although only because he is at a safe distance from the others, as he warned. The records of the last 24 hours come during the day when most of the island’s provinces are starting a new stage in the process of returning to normal after four months of fighting the pandemic. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1285213552912019456 “This doesn’t mean we are done,” said the expert in epidemiology. “We expect there will be more cases and that is why the tests aren’t going to decrease. We believe there are still infected people. The goal is to find them, isolate them and diagnose them,” he added at the end of his press conference. Meanwhile, 123 people remain hospitalized and 135 are under primary healthcare surveillance. Yesterday, 2,914 tests were made throughout the country. Cuba has thus processed a total of 229,357 tests, of which 2,446 have been positive. Help us keep OnCuba alive