Avoiding the hoarding of basic necessities remains at the center of attention of the government authorities in this eastern Cuban province and of the companies that operate the stores.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- The provincial deputy governor, Yelenys Tornet Menéndez, reported during one of the daily sessions of the Provincial Defense Council that progress is being made in confronting people who attend more than one queue, resellers and hoarders, thanks to the joint action of the people, support groups and the forces of the Ministry of the Interior. Previously, the Provincial Government identified the 37 scenarios vulnerable to the actions of resellers and hoarders and formed an equal number of working groups, together with the Comprehensive Supervision Directorate (DIS), to address this issue in a multi-sectoral manner.

At the same time, during this week contacts continued between public servants at all levels, agreeing on actions against those who try to profit from the needs of the majority. For example, in the provincial capital, the intendant and the DIS held an exchange with the 38 heads of groups set up to fight against resellers and hoarders; in the municipality of Colombia, the issue was a recurrent one in the meetings of the people's councils; and the municipal group created for this purpose coordinates the work of 10 sub-groups made up of administrative leaders and representatives of mass organizations, all of whom are responsible for ensuring order, transparency and the organization of queues in the sales units.

For its part, the Caribe store network made it known that the sale of merchandise in excess of approved quantities or the retention of more workers than stipulated for each customer is strictly prohibited in its establishments.

Nor, she said, will it be permitted to concentrate the sale of high-demand products in a single commercial unit or sales floor, with the possibility of improving the distribution system. Nor will it be legal to begin sales without first informing workers and the public on a board and in a visible manner, the offers, their prices per unit, and the quantity that can be taken per client. Finally, she insisted that store managers or workers will not be able to wait until the products are sold out before informing users in the queue.

Soon after, Cimex, which had already announced similar steps in its physical stores, made public new regulations to avoid hoarding, also in its virtual stores. Through its social network profile, it announced that from now on TuEnvío will introduce the regulation that each customer can only purchase one module per day. "We recommend not trying to buy more than once or with different users, the measure is associated with the means of payment and not the users," she said.

The entity highlighted that the verification of whether one or more purchases have been made with the same magnetic card in a single day occurs after the payment has been made, "which is when the store can verify from which means you are paying"; therefore, she warned, the return of money corresponding to that second purchase not allowed "enters the period established for returns of up to 72 hours."