Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuban-American teacher Carlos Lazo, a veteran sergeant of the Iraq war, completed the bicycle journey that took him, along with his children and nephews, to the White House. The trip began on July 11th as a bicycle expedition to draw attention to the economic sanctions reinforced by the Trump administration against Cuba, despite the health crisis of COVID-19. Lazo, virtually accompanied by other Cuban-Americans, Americans and Cubans from all over the world, left the city of Seattle on the Pacific coast and traveled 3,000 miles (more than 5,000 kilometers) to Washington D.C., carrying a message of peace between Cuba and the United States, endorsed by thousands of signatures from a change.org petition. Lazo, his two sons, and two nephews pedaled the equivalent of five times the distance that separates Havana from Santiago de Cuba. They took turns of 30 and 40 miles each (sometimes more) on a journey that lasted 25 days. Check Video Here The first week of Professor Carlos Lazo's bicycle trip through the United States was full of meetings, brotherhood, and good energy. Lazo, his nephews, and sons met with some elected officials from Montana, including Senator Dick Barrett and Representatives Willis...

Help us keep OnCuba alive A 23-ton batch of sanitary supplies from the Chinese city of Shanghai arrived this Sunday to the José Martí International Airport in Cuba. Rapid tests, real-time molecular biology tests (PCR), and other necessary supplies to fight SARS-CoV-2 make up the cargo that arrived on board the sixth and last charter flight of the Cuban airline from that city, according to Xinhua. "China has become the world's main provider of medicines and supplies to face the pandemic", said Lázaro Hernández, captain of the aircraft, to the local press. The donation also includes masks, protective gear, diagnostic kits, and sample transport devices. With this, they reach 180 tons arrived through 30 commercial air shipments and six direct charter flights from Shanghai, according to the Cuban ambassador in China, Carlos Miguel Pereira.

Help us keep OnCuba alive On the thirteenth day without deaths, 48 people were diagnosed yesterday with the Sars-CoV-2 virus in Cuba, according to the information offered by the health authorities, which highlights the number of discharges: 72. The new positive cases are Cubans. 39 of them, were related to confirmed cases, and in nine people, the source of infection is not specified - Dr. Francisco Durán warned during his daily appearance -. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1295367789960671232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1295367789960671232%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-72-pacientes-recibieron-el-alta-en-una-jornada-con-48-nuevos-contagios%2F The number of infected men and women was the same this time: 24. 17 of them were asymptomatic at the time of the diagnosis. The provinces that reported infections this Monday were Havana (43 cases), Artemisa (2), Pinar del Río (2), and Villa Clara (1). The most affected groups, by age, are: between 21 and 40 years old (20 affected); followed by those who classify between 41 and 60, (with 15 infected). Eight of the positives do not exceed 20 years old, and five exceed 60 years old. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/havana-a-setback/ By August 16th midnight, 1,377 patients remained admitted to hospitals for clinical epidemiological surveillance: 746 were suspects, and 582 were confirmed to be positive. With the 4,350 tests performed yesterday, Cuba accumulates 332,039 analyzed samples since the...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 and 52 patient discharges, rising the number of recovered patients to 2,620; informed this Sunday by Dr. Francisco Durán, director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). 22 of the people diagnosed with the virus yesterday reside in Havana, while one of the cases is related to the transmission event found in Mariel, in the province of Artemisa, and the other in Cárdenas, Matanzas, in which the source of infection is not specified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1294988239250522112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1294988239250522112%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-reporto-24-nuevos-casos-de-covid-19-y-52-altas-medicas%2F "In Cuba, to date, we have had 49 events of local transmission of the virus, of which 11 remain open", said Durán in his daily conference on the epidemiological situation caused by the new coronavirus in Cuba. The total number of patients since the pandemic began rose to 3,316, counting the patients diagnosed on Saturday. 606, 601 with stable clinical evolution, three critically ill and two seriously ill patients remain admitted in hospitals. No deceases were reported. The total of deaths remains at 88, according to the Minsap report. Here you can read the most updated data and how the coronavirus curve evolves in Cuba.

Since last July 20th, Cuba has 72 new stores in which products can be purchased in freely convertible currency (MLC), taking the United States dollar (USD) as a reference in their prices. According to the official information, published a few days before the opening of these stores, 57 of the new establishments distributed throughout the island would offer food and cleaning products, and the other 15, hardware products. This would be distributed as follows: 14 in Havana and the rest throughout the country, at a rate of at least two stores per province. When announcing the news, the directors of Cimex and Caribe state chains (companies in charge of providing the new service in MLC) explained that these stores would sell medium and high-end items, referring to products with a higher quality standard to those of the stores in Cuban pesos (CUP) and convertible pesos (CUC) - the two currencies used in the country since the dual currency came into force -. This means that the offers of the dollar stores should not affect the other establishments. In addition, they confirmed that the payment for those commercial entities would be through magnetic cards associated with bank accounts in foreign currencies...

The Minister of Education, Ena Elsa Velázquez, said this Friday on the Mesa Redonda television program that the school year will resume in all the country's provinces on September 1st, with the exception of Havana, given its current epidemiological situation. She reported that managers and workers are returning to educational institutions in a first phase to prepare them for the restart of the 2019-2020 school year, after the period of forced confinement. In the second phase, teaching activities will be resumed and evaluations will be carried out to end this school year, which will run until October 31. Two days later the 2020-2021 academic year will begin. In the case of Higher Education, students and teachers will also return to class in 22 universities on September 1st (in the second phase) and from then on, adjustments will be made for the closure of subjects, changes of careers and finals, extraordinary and end-of-year exams. The minister insisted on the need to comply with and maximize measures to avoid infections. Among them, she pointed out the staggering recess hours, not doing the usual morning conglomerated meetings at the school, not accepting workers and students with respiratory symptoms, not allowing school access to...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba reported 63 new coronavirus infections at the end of this Friday, on a day in which there were no deaths from the disease and 21 people were discharged from the hospitals. Thus, the total number of infected rose to 3,292 and active cases on the island rose to 634, the highest number in recent months. Most of the new patients were detected in Havana (54), which is confirmed as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Cuba, while Villa Clara reported four infected, and Artemisa, two. The remaining three were imported cases; travelers from abroad who were isolated in the country's capital and who reside in the provinces of Cienfuegos, Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey. Among the new cases, 60 are Cubans and three are foreigners residing on the Island, from them, the men (41) almost doubled the number of infected women (22). A total of 40 were detected asymptomatic. Most of those infected cases were contacts of previously confirmed cases (52). The source of infection could not be specified for five people, and three were infected outside of the Island. By age, the group between 20 and 39 years old was the most...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba is working on the development of its own vaccine to combat the new coronavirus at the same time that it negotiates with Russia the manufacture on the Island of the vaccine registered by the Eurasian nation’s scientists. "There are several countries working on that ... Our country is working with vaccine candidates" said the Cuban National Director of Epidemiology, Dr. Francisco Durán, on Wednesday. He also noted that Moscow scientists are in contact with their peers at the Finlay Institute from Havana. Durán's comments added up to the reports from official media that released statements by Cuban experts about the development of four possible vaccines, one of them well advanced in trial tests. "I'm sure they will succeed", said President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Twitter, encouraging Cuban researchers. https://twitter.com/DiazCanelB/status/1293163861462388736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1293163861462388736%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-sigue-trabajando-en-una-vacuna-propia-contra-la-covid-19%2F Independent experts considered that it is possible that the Cuban scientific park has a vaccine in development and remarked that the island has the capability of mass manufacturing it. “Cuba produces almost 80% of the vaccines consumed by the National Immunization Program. They have the Finlay Institute and there is a great area of ​​technological innovation”, the director of the Pan American Health Organization in Cuba,...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba rejected the ban imposed on Thursday by the United States on private charter flights between the two countries, considering it an electoral action and harmful to Cubans, although it was clarified that it will have a little practical effect. The Cuban Foreign Ministry’s Director-General for US Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, affirmed that the measure announced by the Secretary of State of Washington, Mike Pompeo, "seeks to satisfy the electoral political machinery of South Florida" a few months before the US presidential elections. https://twitter.com/CubaMINREX/status/1294052405856759808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1294052405856759808%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba-ee-uu%2Fcuba-considera-electoralista-suspension-de-vuelos-charter-privados-desde-eeuu%2F The Cuban diplomatic representative declared that it is a measure "of little practical impact" although it "plays with the concerns of Cubans on both sides of the Straits of Florida and their needs for family contacts," according to his statements, released by the Foreign Ministry from Havana. Cuba and the United States are currently experiencing one of the most tenses stages in their complicated relationship after the detente carried out by former presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro between 2014 and 2016, a stage that is known as the "thaw", which led to the reopening of embassies. https://oncubanews.com/cuba-ee-uu/estados-unidos-suspende-los-vuelos-charter-privados-a-cuba/ The Trump administration reversed this policy and intensified the pressure on Havana...

Help us keep OnCuba alive COVID-19 left 56 new infections in Cuba in the last 24 hours, according to daily information from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). But, before starting his daily update, Dr. Francisco Durán referred to the person who died yesterday, because after a necropsy it was revealed that the cause of death was not the new coronavirus. "We apologize to his family and friends", said the national director of Epidemiology of the Minsap. As for today's cases: all of them are Cuban, 52 were related to confirmed cases, in two of them the source of infection is not specified, and other two acquired the SARS-CoV-2 virus abroad. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1294283404356263937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1294283404356263937%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-minsap-rectifica-la-cifra-de-fallecidos-y-reporta-56-nuevos-contagios-hoy%2F 29 men, 27 women, 40 were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. By age ranges, they are distributed as follows: 24 were between 40 and 59 years old; 21, from 20 to 39; 8 had not reached 20 years old yet, and three were over 60. The geographical location is as follows: Havana (33, in the municipalities of La Lisa, Habana del Este, San Miguel del Padrón, Boyeros, 10 de Octubre, Playa, Regla, Plaza de la Revolución, Cerro and Marianao), Artemisa (19: Artemisa, Mariel, Bahía Honda ,...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The government of Havana, the epicenter of the current rebound in COVID-19 in Cuba, established greater restrictions than those existing until now for transportation entrances and exits of the city, expecting to curb the transmission of the disease and to prevent it from spreading to other Cuban provinces. However, he left a margin for tourists’ reservations and other exceptions, for as long as people can provide the required authorization and show evidence that they are not infected. “We have to understand that the city is closed. The fewest possible trips should be made”, said the governor of Havana, Reinaldo García, during the television program Mesa Redonda, on Tuesday. After registering a new outbreak of coronavirus infections, Havana was returned by the country's authorities to the phase of "limited autochthonous transmission". Consequently, urban transport was suspended and people's mobility was limited, as part of a plan to contain the disease. The Cuban government also restricted transportation between the western provinces of the Island, among which Artemisa is also experiencing a complex epidemiological situation. Prevention and control measures have been reinforced throughout the island, particularly in the territories with newly reported cases. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/what-went-wrong-in-havana-the-weight-of-the-capital-and-cubas-new-normal/ According to the coordinator...

Help us keep OnCuba alive One person died from COVID-19 in Cuba on the last day, according to the health authorities report today in their daily appearance. Other updates: 46 new infections, 558 active cases, 21 medical discharges, 4591 tested. The most recent victim of the Sars-CoV-2 virus is an 82-year-old from Havana who lived in Centro Habana. With him, the number of deaths from the disease rises to 89 on the Island. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1293909045728800774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1293909045728800774%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fun-fallecido-y-46-nuevos-contagios-es-el-saldo-de-la-covid-19-hoy-en-cuba%2F 45 of the diagnosed cases are Cubans; one is a foreigner, a Colombian resident in Plaza de la Revolución; 41 were contacts of confirmed cases. The source of infection in the three imported cases is located in Venezuela. Of the 46 confirmed cases, 22 are men and 24 are women. 25 were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. By region, the cases location is as follows: Havana (35, distributed in the municipalities of Habana del Este, La Lisa, Centro Habana, Cotorro, Boyeros, Plaza de la Revolución, Playa, Guanabacoa, Cerro, San Miguel del Padrón and Regla), Artemisa (5: Mariel, San Antonio de los Baños and Bahía Honda), Pinar del Río (3: Consolación del Sur, La Palma and Minas de Matahambres), Villa Clara (2: Camajuaní) and Mayabeque (1:...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba exceeded 2,500 patients recovered from COVID-19 after five months of detecting the first cases of the disease on the island. In total, there are 2,504 medical discharges given in the country to people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, since three Italian tourists were reported as positive on March 11 while vacationing in the Cuban town of Trinidad. The figure represents 80.1% of the 3,128 confirmed cases with the disease until this Tuesday, according to Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of Epidemiology in the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), quoted by Prensa Latina. Among those recovered are 301 minors, a group in which 341 infected have been reported so far, according to Dr. Durán this Wednesday at the daily press conference on the situation of COVID-19 in Cuba. In the last 24 hours, 32 people infected with the coronavirus were discharged from hospital, while 534 active patients with the disease remain hospitalized, of which 528 are in a stable clinical condition, two in critical condition and four serious, according to the part of the Minsap. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/cuba-reports-35-new-cases-of-coronavirus-and-32-discharges/ After several months of few cases on the island, Cuba is experiencing a re-outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic,...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported 35 new cases of coronavirus, a number lower than the one from recent days, and 32 discharges by the end of this Tuesday. This way, the number of infected people on the island amounted to 3,218, and those recovered reached 2,504. There were no deaths reported from COVID-19 cases, which means the fatalities of this disease on the island continue to be 88, according to the Ministry of Health. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1293540057299718144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1293540057299718144%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-reporta-35-nuevos-casos-de-coronavirus-y-32-altas%2F The worrying note is that two provinces without positive cases in recent weeks, Holguín and Matanzas, each registered one patient, in both cases with unknown sources of infection. The remaining cases were detected in Havana (29), Artemisa (2), and Villa Clara (2); the three most affected territories by COVID-19 on the Island nowadays. The 35 new positive cases were Cubans, 19 of them asymptomatic, 18 men and 17 women. In nine of the cases, the source of the contagion hasn’t been determined, while the remaining 26 are contacts of already confirmed cases. Those under 40 led the way, with 22 sick patients, six of them under 20. On the other hand, only five seniors were confirmed. After...

Help us keep OnCuba alive The Cuban state corporation Cimex announced a new mechanism for the regulation of purchases in its online stores, grouped in the TuEnvío platform, according to which each customer can only make one daily purchase, regardless of the beneficiary and the online store in which they make said purchase. Since last June, after a closure to “adapt its operation,” the Cimex online stores and also those of the Caribe chain, started marketing only food, cleaning products modules, or a combination of both―at prices ranging between 10 and 30 CUC (Cuban convertible pesos)―, and established a limit of one daily purchase per store. However, now Cimex clarifies that the regulation “is associated with the means of payment and not with the users,” according to a note published on the official Cubadebate site. This means that the same person can only make the purchase of one module per day through the bank account registered for the payment, even if they have more than one user registered on the platform or that purchase is made with another person as beneficiary, even if they live in another province. Nor will it be possible to buy in more than one store,...

Help us keep OnCuba alive With already five months dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Cuba, the health authorities continue on alert, despite the report today of 47 new cases in the last 24 hours, detected in Havana, Artemisa and Villa Clara. The number dropped compared to yesterday's report, but active cases exceed 500 people. 46 of yesterday’s positive cases are Cuban and one is a foreigner, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan, resident in the Centro Habana municipality. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1293170832789962753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1293170832789962753%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fmas-de-cuatro-mil-pruebas-arrojan-47-nuevos-casos-de-coronavirus-en-cuba%2F 32 were related to confirmed cases, in 15 the source of infection was not specified and 29 were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. By age group, the new cases behaved as follows: 22 between 41 and 60 years; 19 between 20 and 49; three under 20 and 3 are over 60. 11,345 people are under primary healthcare surveillance, while the number of hospitalizations increased to 1,049. With yesterday’s 4,054 tests, Cuba has processed a total of 305,652 samples since March; of these, 3,093 have been positive.

Help us keep OnCuba alive The worst day to date, taking into account the number of new contagions by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was experienced by Cuba yesterday when it registered 93 new cases, the health authorities reported today. Active cases as of midnight on August 9 numbered 496. Now there are 3,046 infected, 2,460 recovered and 88 deceased as a result of the new coronavirus since, already a pandemic, it started hitting the island last March. All the cases are Cuban, 61 were contacts of confirmed cases, 10 had the source of infection abroad and in 22 the source of infection is not specified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1292835218991259648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1292835218991259648%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcon-93-nuevos-casos-cuba-vive-su-peor-dia-por-contagios-de-covid-19%2F The origin of the disease is autochthonous in 83 people, while in 10 the SARS-CoV-2 virus was acquired abroad. By age group, they are as follows: 43 between 20 and 39 years old; 24 between 40 and 59; 16 with 60 and more than 60 and 10 under 20 years. Geographical distribution of the new positive cases: Havana (76 cases): Habana del Este (21), La Lisa (10), Marianao (8), Playa (8), 10 de Octubre (7), Plaza de la Revolución (6), Arroyo Naranjo (5), Boyeros (3), Centro Habana (2), Guanabacoa (2), Cerro (2), Cotorro (1) and...

Help us keep OnCuba alive A group of Canadian airlines plan to resume regular commercial flights to Cuba as of September and also during October if sanitary conditions allow. Air Canada is the company that would start with flights between the two countries on September 4, while Sunwing Airlines announced that it will offer a limited schedule during the next month, with flights from Toronto and Montreal to the tourist destinations of Varadero and Cayo Coco. In the same way, the Air Transat company would host flights from those cities as of October 2. The required documents and entry requirements for Cuba do not vary. Visitors will not have to undergo a prior test before departure, nor will they have to undergo a quarantine upon arrival on the island, the press release specifies. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/steps-and-keys-for-reopening-cuban-tourism/ All arriving visitors will have their body temperature taken and a free COVID-19 test performed, the results of which will be available the next day. Those who arrive at Cuban airports must use masks at all times until their arrival at the hotel facilities, where all the health, safety and physical distancing protocols are prepared. A detailed care procedure is also planned in the event of...

In its first phase, the tool is able to group 210 regulations related to foreign trade activity, and reduces by 50% the steps required for business registration.

4,262 tests carried out, nine patients were discharged, seven were reported seriously ill.

Cuban Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda confirmed during the usual Ministry of Public Health report that the country is facing a new epidemic outbreak of the disease.

Mobility within and from Havana to other nearby provinces will be restricted, as part of a plan of measures approved by the Cuban capital’s authorities to curb the increase in COVID-19 cases the city has experienced in recent days. The plan, which was confirmed this Thursday by the island’s government, includes sanitary, social and transportation regulations, and will start being applied next Saturday, except for the measures related to transportation, which will take effect next Monday, as reported by Tribuna de La Habana. Among the measures announced at the daily meeting of the Provincial Defense Council (CDP) are the limitation of urban transportation and the mobility of people in the capital until 11:00 pm, the restriction of transportation―including the state-run―between Havana and the provinces of Matanzas, Artemisa and Mayabeque, and the establishment of border control points with the presence of health personnel, inspectors and police officers. Similarly, Tribuna points out that passenger boarding points on highways and roads will be paralyzed and vehicles are forbidden from having more than eight seats without authorization, the maximum of 40 people standing in articulated buses and 20 in rigid buses will be restored, hygienic measures will be reinforced in the means of transportation,...

Help us keep OnCuba alive After having registered a new peak of contagions on Wednesday, the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to keep in check the Cuban health authorities, which today reported 54 new positive cases, five more than yesterday, detected in Havana (43 cases) , Villa Clara (6), Artemisa (4) and Matanzas (1). The number of hospitalizations amounted to 685 people, while 11,351 are under primary healthcare surveillance. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1291735204277686273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1291735204277686273%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fsigue-subiendo-la-curva-de-contagios-por-covid-19-en-cuba-54-nuevos-casos-reportados-hoy%2F Of the contagions, 52 are Cuban and two are foreigners; 47 had contact with confirmed cases, four had the source of infection abroad and in one the source of infection is not specified; 40 people were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis. The regions where contagions with a source of infection took place abroad, not specified in two of the cases in today’s report, are Havana and Matanzas. The foreigners mentioned are two Mexicans residing in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality. By age groups, the most affected are as follows: 28 cases are between 20 and 39 years old; 15, between 40 and 59; under 20, six and over 60, five. With almost 4,000 tests today, Cuba has processed a total of 289,412 of which 2,829 have been positive. The...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba will eliminate the list of 123 activities allowed in the private sector, a measure widely demanded by economists and with which new business opportunities are opened for entrepreneurs at a time of strong economic crisis. Cuban Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feito announced this Thursday on state television, although without specifying a date, that the “pre-established and limited scope” list of activities will be removed to allow individuals to start “much broader profile” businesses. https://twitter.com/MTSS_CUBA/status/1291523261403140098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1291523261403140098%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-anulara-lista-de-actividades-permitidas-al-sector-privado%2F Although the Cuban state maintains a monopoly on the national economy, in the last decade the number of private activities that can be carried out has expanded. In the current list―in force since 2018―the number of activities allowed is 123, most of them related to catering, transportation and home rental. By eliminating this list, the “self-employed” (as workers in the private sector in Cuba are known) will be able to carry out other economic activities “where the scope is determined based on the work project presented by the interested party,” as announced by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), without giving further details. Cuban economists and the private sector itself had spent years demanding...

Help us keep OnCuba alive Cuba will assign 22,281 people to do battle against the speculation related to a chain that involves people who sell places on lines, hoard and resell products sold in stores and pharmacies throughout the island, the state media reported. As part of a national plan to deal with illegalities, crimes and acts of corruption, “2,979 commercial establishments were identified” in which such violations are concentrated, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said this Tuesday on the Mesa Redonda television program. https://twitter.com/radio_mayari/status/1289682222375567361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1289682222375567361%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fgobierno-cubano-lanza-operacion-contra-coleros-acaparadores-y-revendedores%2F According to Marrero, “illegalities come in different forms, one of them is what is happening in the lines, which existed even before COVID-19 and are a consequence of the current context, but what cannot happen is that they become an element of risk or scenario of illicit economic activities.” He explained that the people who sell places on lines are related to hoarders who “hire people, get in touch with workers from the establishments, rent spaces to create hidden warehouses, and then sell on social networks with total impunity and at excessive prices.” Long lines have been common in Cuba during the health crisis caused by COVID-19, which came when the island was in the...