Foreigners arriving to Cuba must still quarantine, unless they are arriving to one of the handful of closed-off resorts that are receiving guests. All others who arrive in Cuba must quarantine for approximately eight days.
On April 14th , the Cuban government announced that in order to increase the number of cattle on the island it was eliminating the restrictions that had been in place for decades limiting the slaughter and sale of beef. Cuba’s designated president Miguel Diaz-Canel stated that Cuba must prioritize food production. Diaz-Canel failed to disclose how Cuba’s cattle herd or food production would increase, or why the government had been placing limits on both for over sixty years.
Cuba’s eighth Communist Party congress is taking place over this weekend, Raul Castro has already announced he is stepping down as First Secretary of the Central Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party. He stated on Friday that he will “continue my militancy as a revolutionary combatant.” The ninety-year-old “revolutionary combatant” will doubtless continue to keep is grip on the reins of power.
The Cuban government is testing its COVID-19 vaccine on Havana’s population, with plans to vaccinate the entire population and even tourists once the Havana trials are concluded. There is a rumor circulating that the Cuban vaccine is not effective, and that vaccinated individuals are contracting the virus and getting seriously ill after being vaccinated. The Cuban Ministry of Health has been reporting over a thousand new infections a day since March. Food is scarce and obtaining what little is available requires people to spend countless hours waiting in lines, which turns out to be a great way to help spread the virus.
On April 10th, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans’ intercepted and repatriated 14 Cuban migrants in the Florida straits. The number of Cubans risking their lives to make it to the U.S. as doubled this year compared to last because of the precarious economic situation on the island.
By Frank Gonzalez
