The Pandemic in Cuba
By Urmi Shukla & Medha Nagasubramanian, 8/31/2021
An Economic Crisis
As mass protests erupt in Cuba in the midst of a devastating economic crisis, global attention is being drawn to the poor living conditions that citizens of Cuba have been dealing with for over a year now. The country’s economy shrunk by 11% in 2020 and is continuing to contract on a similar trajectory in 2021. Accompanied by the crippling sanctions issued by the US government, many citizens have found themselves destitute with no way to support themselves.
Cuba’s initial COVID response was regarded as one of the most effective in the world, as they seemed to be doing well when it came to controlling infection rates. However, due to the abrupt closure of borders due to the virus, international tourism took a major hit. As one of Cuba’s most lucrative businesses, accounting for 20% of all foreign exchange earnings in 2019, its suspension took out a major source of hard currency in the nation, leading to the food crisis that still plagues the country today.
Additionally, since Cuba is a communist nation, the Cuban government controls all food markets and healthcare. At the beginning of the pandemic, most government money was immediately redirected to help the pandemic response. While it was effective in curbing infection rates, the food shortage inevitably worsened. Lines at government-run supermarkets were reported to have wait times of over eight hours - and even then, food product prices were so inflated that they were essentially unaffordable. The introduction of dollar stores in Cuba, intended to combat this issue, has only exacerbated food inequality: only a select few have access to American currency, so food remains out of reach for Cubans who do not have family or friends in the US that can send them money.
Adding on to the implications of the nation’s crippled tourism industry are the numerous US sanctions in place. Cuba is currently banned from access to emergency international financing from multilateral financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, which have been helping its Caribbean neighbours survive their crises. The Trump administration initiated measures that hampered oil imports, international trade, and foreign investments. He also returned Cuba to the US State Department’s list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” While this decision did not have an immediate impact on Cuba’s relations with other countries, it has made international businesses and financial institutions wary of working with Cuba due to fears of violating international sanctions. When the pandemic hit and Cuba required new sources of trade, most entities refused to engage in transactions with it, even for medical supplies or food. Cuban people were left to deal with the pandemic on their own.
While state sector workers have continued to receive a reduced paycheck during the pandemic, about 1 million workers (15% of the working population) that are employed in the private sector had their earnings first reduced by US trade sanctions, and then completely killed off in the wake of the pandemic. Workers who are receiving pensions still cannot support themselves because of the extreme lack of food and medicines in the country. The government has attempted to regulate the prices of essential items but to no avail.
Protestors in Cuba stormed the streets in light of the combined and devastating impacts of the pandemic. The government introduced new measures on July 11th and promised to listen and address complaints, though, in reality, there is little they can do with the lack of resources available and the continued US sanctions.
Mass Protests and Defiance
On July 11, 2020, anti-government protestors took to the streets in the Cuban municipality of San Antonio de Los Baños to protest the government’s incompetent handling of the nation’s economic crisis and the pandemic. Viral social media videos fanned the flames, and protests rapidly spread around the country, resulting in the largest-scale protests ever seen in the nation. Cuba’s economic crisis has become drastically worse, and the nation’s recent explosion in COVID cases may have been the final straw for Cubans. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the current communist party head, insists that the crisis is caused by U.S. sanctions, and blames the U.S. for manipulating Cuban citizens. He also called upon pro-government citizens to counter the protests. Hundreds of protestors have been arrested by the Cuban police and armed special forces, and physical violence has been used to apprehend them.
Several issues triggered these protests. Cuba’s current economic crisis is the worst the nation has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union. Blackouts and water shortages are the norm, and there is a severe scarcity of necessities. Hospitals are lacking basic supplies, and small-scale infectious disease outbreaks have sprung up around the nation. The government blames the U.S. trade embargo for this, but Cuban citizens have expressed their frustration with the government’s handling of the crisis on online platforms. The island’s explosion in COVID cases has compounded this crisis. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and COVID has crippled the nation’s tourism industry. President Díaz-Canel has downplayed the nation’s crisis, arguing that it is no worse than what other nations are facing and that Cuba had its vaccines. However, he failed to note that COVID cases are reaching record highs and that the administration of its vaccines is very limited. The third main reason that these protests have become so widespread is increased access to the internet. The protests were organized via an online forum and spread rapidly through social media.
The government says that these protests were incited by the U.S. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated, “There were riots, disorder, caused by a communications operation that has been prepared for some time, to which multi-million dollar resources have been destined: laboratories, technological platforms [backed] with funds of the United States government." The government has cracked down on the internet and social media usage after the protests. Access to social media is state-controlled, and many users were unable to access Facebook, Instagram, and other similar sites after the protests. The government has also passed new decrees to increase government control over the internet. According to the new decrees, internet providers must stop providing access to those who “spread fake news or hurt the image of the state.” Deputy Communications Minister Wilfredo Gonzalez stated that the new decrees were intended to protect privacy; he also added that “no one can denigrate an official of our country or our revolutionary process.
The government has begun to monitor people’s social media to assess their beliefs and involvement in the protests. Hundreds of people have been arrested during and after the protests without due process. These people are quickly tried and sentenced in large groups in what is being termed as “exemplary trials.” They are prosecuted with minimal evidence and do not receive legal representation. Additionally, as the private legal practice is illegal in Cuba, these protestors are fighting against a system that is rigged against them. For the families that do receive legal representation, the lawyers recommend that they don’t fight the decision, so that the penalty will not be heavier. The conditions in the jails where these protestors are held are unsanitary and traumatizing, and the government has held children as young as 14 in jail. In the name of restoring order, the Cuban government has been committing gross human rights violations, and they ought to be held accountable internationally.
As mass protests erupt in Cuba in the midst of a devastating economic crisis, global attention is being drawn to the poor living conditions that citizens of Cuba have been dealing with for over a year now. The country’s economy shrunk by 11% in 2020 and is continuing to contract on a similar trajectory in 2021. Accompanied by the crippling sanctions issued by the US government, many citizens have found themselves destitute with no way to support themselves.
Cuba’s initial COVID response was regarded as one of the most effective in the world, as they seemed to be doing well when it came to controlling infection rates. However, due to the abrupt closure of borders due to the virus, international tourism took a major hit. As one of Cuba’s most lucrative businesses, accounting for 20% of all foreign exchange earnings in 2019, its suspension took out a major source of hard currency in the nation, leading to the food crisis that still plagues the country today.
Additionally, since Cuba is a communist nation, the Cuban government controls all food markets and healthcare. At the beginning of the pandemic, most government money was immediately redirected to help the pandemic response. While it was effective in curbing infection rates, the food shortage inevitably worsened. Lines at government-run supermarkets were reported to have wait times of over eight hours - and even then, food product prices were so inflated that they were essentially unaffordable. The introduction of dollar stores in Cuba, intended to combat this issue, has only exacerbated food inequality: only a select few have access to American currency, so food remains out of reach for Cubans who do not have family or friends in the US that can send them money.
Adding on to the implications of the nation’s crippled tourism industry are the numerous US sanctions in place. Cuba is currently banned from access to emergency international financing from multilateral financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, which have been helping its Caribbean neighbours survive their crises. The Trump administration initiated measures that hampered oil imports, international trade, and foreign investments. He also returned Cuba to the US State Department’s list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” While this decision did not have an immediate impact on Cuba’s relations with other countries, it has made international businesses and financial institutions wary of working with Cuba due to fears of violating international sanctions. When the pandemic hit and Cuba required new sources of trade, most entities refused to engage in transactions with it, even for medical supplies or food. Cuban people were left to deal with the pandemic on their own.
While state sector workers have continued to receive a reduced paycheck during the pandemic, about 1 million workers (15% of the working population) that are employed in the private sector had their earnings first reduced by US trade sanctions, and then completely killed off in the wake of the pandemic. Workers who are receiving pensions still cannot support themselves because of the extreme lack of food and medicines in the country. The government has attempted to regulate the prices of essential items but to no avail.
Protestors in Cuba stormed the streets in light of the combined and devastating impacts of the pandemic. The government introduced new measures on July 11th and promised to listen and address complaints, though, in reality, there is little they can do with the lack of resources available and the continued US sanctions.
Mass Protests and Defiance
On July 11, 2020, anti-government protestors took to the streets in the Cuban municipality of San Antonio de Los Baños to protest the government’s incompetent handling of the nation’s economic crisis and the pandemic. Viral social media videos fanned the flames, and protests rapidly spread around the country, resulting in the largest-scale protests ever seen in the nation. Cuba’s economic crisis has become drastically worse, and the nation’s recent explosion in COVID cases may have been the final straw for Cubans. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the current communist party head, insists that the crisis is caused by U.S. sanctions, and blames the U.S. for manipulating Cuban citizens. He also called upon pro-government citizens to counter the protests. Hundreds of protestors have been arrested by the Cuban police and armed special forces, and physical violence has been used to apprehend them.
Several issues triggered these protests. Cuba’s current economic crisis is the worst the nation has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union. Blackouts and water shortages are the norm, and there is a severe scarcity of necessities. Hospitals are lacking basic supplies, and small-scale infectious disease outbreaks have sprung up around the nation. The government blames the U.S. trade embargo for this, but Cuban citizens have expressed their frustration with the government’s handling of the crisis on online platforms. The island’s explosion in COVID cases has compounded this crisis. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and COVID has crippled the nation’s tourism industry. President Díaz-Canel has downplayed the nation’s crisis, arguing that it is no worse than what other nations are facing and that Cuba had its vaccines. However, he failed to note that COVID cases are reaching record highs and that the administration of its vaccines is very limited. The third main reason that these protests have become so widespread is increased access to the internet. The protests were organized via an online forum and spread rapidly through social media.
The government says that these protests were incited by the U.S. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated, “There were riots, disorder, caused by a communications operation that has been prepared for some time, to which multi-million dollar resources have been destined: laboratories, technological platforms [backed] with funds of the United States government." The government has cracked down on the internet and social media usage after the protests. Access to social media is state-controlled, and many users were unable to access Facebook, Instagram, and other similar sites after the protests. The government has also passed new decrees to increase government control over the internet. According to the new decrees, internet providers must stop providing access to those who “spread fake news or hurt the image of the state.” Deputy Communications Minister Wilfredo Gonzalez stated that the new decrees were intended to protect privacy; he also added that “no one can denigrate an official of our country or our revolutionary process.
The government has begun to monitor people’s social media to assess their beliefs and involvement in the protests. Hundreds of people have been arrested during and after the protests without due process. These people are quickly tried and sentenced in large groups in what is being termed as “exemplary trials.” They are prosecuted with minimal evidence and do not receive legal representation. Additionally, as the private legal practice is illegal in Cuba, these protestors are fighting against a system that is rigged against them. For the families that do receive legal representation, the lawyers recommend that they don’t fight the decision, so that the penalty will not be heavier. The conditions in the jails where these protestors are held are unsanitary and traumatizing, and the government has held children as young as 14 in jail. In the name of restoring order, the Cuban government has been committing gross human rights violations, and they ought to be held accountable internationally.
