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The long lines in front of several bank branches in the city of Matanzas have become a daily scene due to the lack of electricity during business hours, a reality that contrasts with recent official statements regarding the supposed ability of the banking system to operate even amid power outages.
According to reports spread on social media by the page "Ciudad de Matanzas en Fotos," there has been no electricity since Friday during banking hours (from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) at the Bandec branch located at the intersection of Ayuntamiento and Medio, as well as in other nearby offices and at the Cadeca in the city center.
According to the published testimony, electricity was restored around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, allowing for just an hour and a half of service after several days of outages.
The situation has led to crowds since early morning, with elderly people, workers, and families waiting without any assurance of being attended to.
Among those affected are retirees trying to collect their pensions, workers who have not yet been able to receive their salaries, and citizens who need to deposit foreign currency to purchase fuel.
In the case of tickets for purchasing gasoline in US dollars, they expire in 24 hours, which increases the pressure on those who rely on a banking operation that often cannot be carried out due to a lack of electricity, the publication notes.
The complaints also indicate that the lack of electricity has created tension among customers, loss of workdays, and additional difficulties in the transit of one of the busiest areas of the city.
The situation arises just days after the chairwoman of the Central Bank of Cuba, Juana Lilia Delgado Portal, asserted on the official program Mesa Redonda that the banks were ready to operate even without electricity, thanks to investments in generators and photovoltaic systems.
However, in Matanzas, customers claim not to have seen solar panels or power plants operating during working hours.
The bank responded to the Facebook post and stated that "services are being provided as much as possible under the energy contingency. However, there are times when interruptions directly affect our ability to operate normally."
"When electricity is restored, all services are provided, but we do not have access to information about the schedules for when it will be available. Since the end of December, Bandec has been focused on changing the energy matrix, and we already have two branches in the province, in Colón and Cárdenas, operating with photovoltaic panels, with the Martí branch currently in the installation process. In the coming weeks, the Provincial Directorate of Bandec in Matanzas will also be equipped, and this will be implemented in all branches," the company explained.
Amid the energy crisis that the country is facing, access to banking services has become an additional problem for a population already affected by cash shortages, inflation in Cuban pesos (CUP), and limitations on electronic payments due to connectivity issues.
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