With its airports closed to commercial flights and its economy tanking, Cuba has launched the first in a series of long-promised reforms meant to bolster the country’s struggling private sector.
Full article by The Washington Post here.
Cuba to scrap ‘too restrictive’ private-sector activities list as economic pressures grow
Cuba’s Communist government said late on Thursday it would scrap a list that sets out a tight definition of business activities permitted in the island nation’s fledgling private sector, a move seen boosting self-employment, small firms and start-ups.
Full article by Reuters here.
Strapped for Cash, Cuba Turns to US Dollars
The series of new measures include the introduction of special “dollar stores,” an increase in domestic agricultural production to reduce dependency on imports, wholesale stores for owners of cafés, restaurants and other businesses, and long-awaited expansions for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Full article by the Startup Cuba here.
Cuban banks welcome US dollars as pandemic’s impact on tourism causes food shortages
Cuba experienced a sudden drop in tourism and without much-needed U.S. dollars for food imports, the coronavirus pandemic shock has come with food shortages.
Full article and video by Local 10 News here.
Americans return home from Cuba in 2 US-chartered flights during coronavirus pandemic
The U.S. State Department chartered the flight to rescue U.S. citizens who had to pay about $300. Mara Tekach, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, said the U.S. State Department has repatriated more than 65,000 U.S. Citizens from over 55 countries.
Full article by Local 10 News here.
Cuba isolates 13 U.S. travelers over coronavirus fears, but says country is ‘open’ for tourists
As most Latin American governments shut down borders and ordered quarantines to limit social contact during the weekend, Cuban officials were sending the message that the country was open and was a “safe” destination for tourists.
Full article by The Miami Herald here.
Citizen and government awakening on Twitter: a year of mobile internet in Cuba
Answering WhatsApp messages from bed and posting photos on a bus was something unthinkable for Cubans until a year ago when the country activated its mobile internet network and took the first step towards a new reality, marked by greater access to information but still weighed down by high prices.
Full article by OnCuba here.
Cuban Radio Show “Stirs Things Up” with Three Sad Topics
A tongue-in-cheek reference to the “powders” in Afro-Cuban religion and their effects kicked off the show “Three sad topics”, the latest episode from El Enjambre, space where people discuss what is being said about Cuba on Twitter, but without losing this “relaxed” attitude that defines us good Cubans.
Full article by Havana Times here.
Dragged down by the Venezuela crisis, Cuba seeks dollars to stay afloat
On Tuesday, Cuban Vice President Salvador Mesa and several ministers announced on television that the government was going to lower the prices of household appliances and other items on the condition that Cubans pay in dollars.
Full article by The Miami Herald here.
Cuba is slowly losing a lifeline as Venezuela collapses
With fuel shipments dwindling, long lines at gas stations have been a fact of life for most of the summer, and in recent days they have become a fixture at bus stops because routes have been suspended to conserve diesel.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel appeared on state television last month to announce austerity and energy-saving measures in the face of what he called “temporary” shortages.
Article by Los Angeles Times here.