COVID-19 forces closure of businesses in Cuba

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In Cuba, the COVID-19 spread forced the temporary shutdown of many private and state services, including restaurants with an impact of business owners and workers. This was the case of a popular restaurant known as Atelier, owned and managed by Niuris Higueras.

Higueras, a successful entrepreneur, opened her business back in 2010, and for years it has been a popular restaurants at an old and elegant mansion in downtown Havana.

From 2012 to 2017, the restaurant was very active. But it had its first bad bout when U.S. President Donald Trump limited tourism to Cuba upon coming to the White House, reversing former U.S. President Barack Obama's policy.

The main hall of Atelier in 2019. /CGTN

The restaurant recovered after with tourists from other countries and locals, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has hit it again; to the point that Higueras decided to close it temporarily.

This happened to the restaurant virtually overnight as measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus led to a drastic reduction of non-essential services.

"Atelier is our family's restaurant, so this situation has affected us economically, we're now living on our own reserves and although we help one another, we have been deeply affected," Higueras told CGTN.

Niuris Higueras at the restaurant with clients. /CGTN

She added she is using her time to do general repairs in the place in order to reopen once the country returns to normal. In the meantime, she is also happy to dedicate more time to her family, particularly to her 90-year-old grandma – which is perhaps a positive side of the current situation.

Current protection measures in Cuba state that restaurants and cafeterias can either offer takeaway and delivery services or resort to a tax exempt temporary close till the country's situation improves.

(Cover: Niuris Higueras closes her business due to the hit of COVID-19. /CGTN)