Cuba will introduce a series of emergency measures to ensure that the country gets through a potential energy crisis. This comes after US President Donald Trump recently introduced measures to limit Cuba's access to foreign oil.
Cuba's Trade Minister, Oscar Fraga-Pérez, said on Friday that the communist regime will prioritize fuel for the health system, defense and food and water supplies. The measures are intended to ensure that fuel consumption is limited.
To reduce consumption, the government is also introducing a four-day work week, so that only work will be done from Monday to Thursday in state-owned companies, writes the AFP news agency. School days will also be shortened, and university requirements for physical attendance will be reduced. The electricity in the Cuban power grid will come primarily from domestic crude oil and solar energy, it says.
Oscar Fraga-Pérez says that Cuba will continue to invest in solar energy projects in the future. At the same time, the government is decentralizing fuel imports, and the Minister of Commerce is encouraging everyone who has the opportunity to import fuel to do so.
Last week, US President Donald Trump signed a decree that aims to punish countries that supply oil to Cuba. Goods from the countries in question will be subject to US import duties. Trump did not mention which countries supply oil to Cuba or a specific tariff rate.
According to the White House, the measure is intended to protect US national security and foreign policy from what it calls Cuba's harmful actions and policies.
The White House accuses, among other things, the communist regime in Cuba of hosting a Russian intelligence facility, which the White House says aims to steal sensitive information about US national security.
The US government also believes that Cuba offers a sanctuary to the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
Until recently, Cuba's largest supplier of oil was Venezuela, but that changed after the US removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power in early January.
/ritzau/Reuters
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