Related videos:
Official media from the province of Las Tunas announced on social networks the start of the distribution of hygiene products from the regulated family basket, following more than eight months without this basic supply being guaranteed in the country.
According to reports from Periódico 26, Tiempo21Cuba, and other local media, this time it was decided to provide one laundry soap and one bath soap per consumer, as part of a distribution aimed at the eastern provinces affected by Hurricane Melissa.
Since March, hygiene products have not been guaranteed to consumers in Cuba, as acknowledged by media outlets of the regime itself, which justified the new distribution as an “extraordinary” measure related to the damage caused by the weather phenomenon.
Facebook posts showed images of boxes containing domestically produced soaps, presented as a "good news" for the population.
However, the celebratory tone of the announcement unleashed hundreds of ironic and critical comments on social media.
Among the most shared reactions, users wrote phrases like "they finally remembered that people shower," "it took a cyclone for them to give us soap," or "we only bathe once a year."
Others complained about the absence of toothpaste, missing for months from the basic basket: “And what about the toothpaste?”, “That’s hygiene too,” dozens of comments echoed, along with complaints about territorial inequality in distribution: “In Las Tunas yes, but nothing in Puerto Padre and Jobabo.”
Several users also reported that when the cleaning services reach the warehouses, the distribution often changes, and what is advertised as “per consumer” ends up being sold “per household” or in an incomplete manner.
The sarcasm and disbelief dominated the responses, with expressions of mockery and resignation such as “Hallelujah, glory to God, they remembered us” or “it took a hurricane for them to give something.”
In previous months, citizens had already reported on social media the limited supply of personal hygiene products, showcasing videos where family modules displayed barely “two bottles of liquid detergent, one tube of toothpaste, four bars of soap for bathing, and three for washing.” The irregularity in distribution and the limited quantities have been a constant source of criticism and public discontent.
The new announcement in Las Tunas follows the same pattern: a minimal delivery presented as an official achievement and received by citizens with a mix of irony and fatigue in light of the ongoing supply crisis in Cuba.
Filed under: