The U.S. embargo has dealt a huge blow to the Cuban economy and society, and "is the principal obstacle to the Cuban population seeking prosperity," Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas said in recent days. Thousands of Cubans are affected daily by the U.S. embargo against the island. Due to the embargo, Cubans are unable to access a lot of software and applications developed in the United States, 32-year-old Yasiel Rodriguez, who works at a mobile phone repair shop in the capital city of Havana, told Xinhua. "It is annoying," he said. "We are supposed to have access to the entirety of websites and applications, but it is not possible due to the U.S. sanctions." First imposed in 1962, the embargo was tightened by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who put in place 243 further measures, including banning all U.S. airline flights from the United States to Cuban cities except for Havana and limiting remittances that Cuban Americans could send to their families living on the island, among others. Geulis Vega, a Havana resident who is visually impaired, said that the embargo negatively impacts the living standards of disabled people. "If the U.S. blockade was lifted, Cuba could access technologies and medicines that very much contribute to the well-being of people like me," he said. Read: U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for 10 missing Cubans Eduardo Rivas, president of the Cuban Society of Cardiology, said that the U.S. sanctions directly affect people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. "The U.S. blockade restricts the Cuban public health system's capacity to purchase pacemakers on the international market," he said. Under the current U.S. administration, airlines have resumed flights to Cuba beyond Havana and caps on family remittances to Cuba have been lifted. "These are positive measures, but if the U.S. government really wants to help the Cuban people, they must end the blockade," said Havana resident Yakelin Santana. ■

The way we shop is changing and how we pay is evolving. As COVID-19 alters our daily lives, consumers in Asia Pacific are rapidly going digital with purchases of everything from groceries to movies in a shift that looks set to become a permanent habit after the pandemic passes, a research shows.