The Director-General of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, Ernesto Soberón.

Havana, October 19 (RHC)--Cuba ratified on Monday that it will maintain free of charge and until further notice the extension of the uninterrupted stay of citizens residing on the island who are abroad, sources at the Foreign Ministry said.

The Director-General of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, Ernesto Soberón, explained in a press conference that the measure allows those who were stranded abroad and could not return due to the Covid-19 to maintain their permanent residence despite exceeding the 24 months of uninterrupted international presence allowed.

The decision took into consideration the opinions of different associations of Cubans living abroad and of nationals who have been unable to return due to the health emergency, Soberón said.

The entry of a good part of Cuba into the new normality last October 16 led to the announcement of air operations resumption in all international terminals, except in Havana, but this does not mean regular flights are back to normal.

The announcement implies that some Cubans will return immediately to their homes, but others will have to continue waiting, said the director-general of Consular Affairs.

He added that even with the regularization of air routes, the epidemiological situation of the countries where the nationals are staying and the availability of flights from those origins must also be taken into account.

The Cuban Migration Law considers that a citizen has emigrated when he travels abroad for private matters and remains uninterruptedly for more than 24 months without the corresponding authorization.

That is why, in exceptional circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic, special permits are applied.