Cuba Update 1 August 2020
Annual UN vote on the blockade postponed to May 2021
Cuba postpones UN blockade vote due to COVID-19 Cuba has announced that it will postpone the annual resolution it presents to the United Nations General Assembly condemning the US blockade of the island until May 2021.
Anayansi Rodriguez, the island's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs told a press conference on 29 July that the decision to postpone the resolution and vote had been taken "solely due to the ... COVID-19 pandemic and its direct impact on the work at UN headquarters" in New York.
Read a full report on the new measures here
CSC condemns US threats to medical internationalism
The Cuba Solidarity Campaign has issued a strong statement of condemnation against the latest moves to undermine and smear Cuban medical brigades from the US.
Three republican senators have introduced a bill which aims to punish countries which work with Cuban medical missions. Cuba’s Foreign Minister called the move “desperate” and said “Cuba saves lives. They can’t erase that truth.”
Jeremy Corbyn and Fernando Gonazlez talk solidarity and internationalism
Jeremy Corbyn, MP and former leader of the British Labour Party, and Fernando Gonzalez, president of ICAP and Miami Five hero, both spoke at a CSC online meeting in July. The meeting ‘Solidarity and Resitance: 60 years of inspiring internationalism’ was part of a series of live online meetings CSC has organised due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing public events.
Read reports of the other meetings and watch them here
Italy thanks Cuba for medical support
On 21 July, the Italian city of Turin thanked Cuba for the medical brigades it sent to help fight COVID-19 with a giant message projected on the dome of one of the most important buildings in the city. ‘Gracias Cuba’, the island’s flag, together with two hands joined in the shape of a heart were projected on the Mole Antonelliana from 10pm. Earlier in the month, the football team Juventus also sent shirts signed by the club’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo to the Cuban medics stationed in the country to say thank you.
Daily Mail praises Cuba’s COVID-19 response
In a rare occurrence, British right-wing newspaper the Daily Mail, praised Cuba’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in July. In an article which compared Britain and Cuba’s response to the pandemic the paper argued that the UK should have followed Cuba’s example of door-to-door screening which had seen only 87 deaths on the island as of the end of July.
British government says yes to Cuba travel
On 24 July, the British government made Cuba exempt from FCO advice against all non-essential international travel. This means that British tourists can now travel to Cuba based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.
Cuba itself has certain restrictions in place on which resorts ,provinces and cities are open to visitors and which can be seen here.
Read the latest UK travel advice on Cuba
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Cuba Solidarity Campaign c/o Unite, 33-37 Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7490 5715 | Fax: +44 (0)20 7490 3556 | Email | www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk