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The Municipal Administration Council of Sandino, in the province of Pinar del Río, approved a set of new regulations to govern the operation of self-employed workers' kiosks (TCP) and MIPYMES in the municipality, following the detection of repeated violations regarding operating hours, noise, and waste management.
According to information published by the broadcaster Radio Sandino, the announcement was made by Lázaro Cabrera Cala, the manager of the Administration Council, who stated that the measures aim to "ensure order, respect for the population, and compliance with current legislation."
One of the most notable provisions is the prohibition of loud music after midnight in residential areas, in compliance with Law 150/2022 and the Cuban Standards NC 19-01-04 and NC 19-01-06.
The permitted acoustic levels are set at 55-65 decibels during the daytime and 40-50 decibels at night for residential areas, and up to 75 during the day and 65 at night in work and recreational zones.
The installation of domino tables and any recreational activities in public spaces or outside kiosks is also prohibited, in accordance with the provisions of the National Institute of Territorial Ordering and Urbanism (INOTU).
Regarding operating hours, establishments must close from Monday to Friday and on Sundays at 12:00 a.m., while on Saturdays they may operate until 4:00 a.m. Cabrera Cala clarified that this measure "is in response to complaints about excessive nighttime hours."
Each TCP and MIPYME will be responsible for keeping their areas clean and transporting solid waste to the designated micro-dumps, categorizing the waste into four groups: biodegradable organics, recyclable inorganics, hazardous waste, and non-recyclable common waste.
Entities managing public funds or services of social interest must publish minimum information about their structure, objectives, and financing, in accordance with the Transparency Law, and the concealment of public data will be penalized.
The new regulations also require ensuring the security of personal data of clients and employees, prohibiting its use without explicit consent, as well as ensuring product quality, price transparency, and customer service, in accordance with Resolution 54/2018 of the Ministry of Domestic Trade.
Furthermore, any form of workplace harassment, bullying, or discrimination is expressly prohibited in accordance with the Labor Code and Decree 96/2023.
The situation in Sandino is not isolated. In Guantánamo, similar restrictions were imposed on bars and nightclubs in March of this year, partly due to the energy crisis. Earlier, in April 2025, residents of Los Arabos, in Matanzas, reported loud music at kiosks authorized by the municipal government without any effective institutional response.
In Las Tunas, 70% of those surveyed rated the music from private businesses as "deafening" and "irritating", especially during nighttime blackouts, according to a report from September 2025.
The Cuban private sector also operates under an increasingly restrictive regulatory framework. In August 2024, a new regulation identified 125 prohibited activities for MIPYMES and TCP, and in April of this year, the government announced the cross-referencing of financial data to detect irregularities in the private sector.
Cabrera Cala warned that "failure to comply with these provisions will result in administrative sanctions, in defense of citizen tranquility and respect for legality."
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