The Castro authorities once again extended the measure that allows the free importation of food, medicines and hygiene products, which was established temporarily and exceptionally in 2021 to deal with the serious shortage in the country.
The measure was to end on Sunday, March 31, but will now be in effect until June 30.
This news was confirmed by the authorities through resolution 94 of 2024 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices (MPF), published during the afternoon of this Wednesday, March 27 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba.
Similarly, resolution 95 was issued, which extends until the same date the import permit for power plants with a power greater than 900 watts, even though their value exceeds the limit established for air, sea, postal and messaging.
The regime indicated that the decision to extend these temporary measures was made after analyzing all the benefits that the residential sector brings, especially during the blackouts implemented due to the energy crisis.
The Official Gazette also points out that resolution 105, which allows the importation in original containers of medicines and medical supplies, medical devices, consumables and for pharmacies, is also extended for the same date.
All of these measures, which were supposedly temporary in nature, were taken shortly after the massive protests of 11J in 2021, this to address the serious shortage in the country in an attempt to keep the population calm.
Since then, authorities have gradually extended these measures as the end date approaches. The last extension was announced in December 2023.
Concern about the future of the measure
The announcement of the extensions comes in the middle of a period in which the Antillean community was waiting to know if the measures would be extended again before the end of March.
The people’s concern arose due to complaints made by the island’s customs authorities in recent weeks. which indicated that several citizens of the country had been abusing the regulations to do businesssomething that is prohibited.
In this sense, the authorities reported the arrest of a traveler who tried to enter the country with 57,000 pills of a medication to control blood pressure. Due to the large number of tablets, the regime did not hesitate to consider that the importation was being carried out on a commercial basis.
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