The characteristic bustle of Cuba is gradually rebounding after 20 months of pandemic restrictions, with the key moment set to occur on Nov. 15 with the start of the full opening of airports, gateways to a tourism industry that feeds thousands of families.
Crafts vendors are returning to the streets, transport between provinces is gradually returning to normal and crowds once again line the seafront Malecon boulevard as night falls over the Cuban capital.
So far, Cuba has registered 956,452 infections of the new coronavirus and 8,265 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The vaccination campaign, covering everyone 2 and up, has given all three scheduled doses to 7.3 million people on this island of 11 million people. Authorities have recognized that inflation is a problem. While the U.S. dollar officially is priced at 24 Cuban pesos, it goes for 70 pesos on the street -- the only place where you can get a dollar because the government does not sell them.
Officials dropped a ban on congregating on the Malecon seawall to enjoy the ocean view. A nighttime curfew in the capital was lifted. Interprovincial trains and buses began to schedule departures. The restaurant began as a small place with 12 chairs during an early opening to private business 25 years ago. Today it has 50 employees who were unemployed for nearly two years, subsisting on their savings. Celebrities such as Madonna, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Rihanna and Queen Sofia of Spain have visited La Guarida.
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