The pandemic shuts down a lifeline for Cuba

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ALTHOUGH THE United States has embargoed Cuba’s economy since the 1960s, the flow of goods, money and people between them has never stopped. Often the interchange is carried out by mulas, or mules (a term for drug couriers in other parts of Latin America). The first mulas were Cubans who left in the early 1980s and sent money and supplies to families who remained. Cuba’s government encouraged them as a way to support its economy, says Emilio Morales, president of the Havana Consulting Group, based in Miami.

Today’s mulas include 50,000 Cuban residents who travel to the United States, Panama and other places (even Russia) and bring back goods that are otherwise scarce or, when available in state-owned shops, overpriced. They range from kitchen appliances to cosmetics. Mulas also bring nearly half of cash remittances, perhaps $1.8bn a year. The government profits...