Trump policy, compounded by the pandemic, have left many Cubans with „no money,“ and the outgoing administration’s parting salvo won’t help.
Most Cubans think times are tough, and most Cubans believe they’re about to get worse thanks to the pending as a „state sponsor of terrorism.“ Worse how? At the most basic level, many say it will make it harder to put food on the table and shoes on their children’s feet. „Our economy is a disaster. There is not enough food grown and goods produced to meet the demand. There is no money -people have no money, the government has no money. And how can we attract investors if the U.S. threatens them with sanctions?“ Michel tells CBS News. The Havana taxi driver says the lack of tourists has left him virtually unemployed already. The Cuban economy is reeling. The costs of combating have been astronomical. The economic crisis is, in great part, due to the state’s provision of free health care for all citizens, including hospitalizing every Cuban who tests positive for the virus. The situation is getting worse right now, with the capital region and others facing an uptick in infections and, with that, more stringent restrictions being brought back. But the pandemic hit the island as the Trump administration pursued a no-holds-barred policy intended to wipe out made under former President Barack Obama. Monday’s announcement that Cuba will be added to the terrorism sponsors list — a dubious distinction shared only by North Korea, Iran and Syria — is like a final nail in the coffin. It will, among other things, penalize people and countries for engaging in certain trade with Cuba, and impose controls on some exports. The Trump administration had already limited the ability of Cubans in the U.S. to send money to their families back on the island (remittances); put many new constraints on U.S. travellers wishing to visit Cuba; limited commercial flights from the U.
