Cuban cigar factory closed over covid. Even though the pandemic is keeping the world hostage for over a year, up until last week, no Cuban cigar factories had to close. So far, every Cuban cigar company kept producing, even though in lower quantities. According to unconfirmed rumors, more than 1500 rollers were in quarantine at a certain moment. But even that, and social distancing, did not force factories to close down. Last week the Carlos Palina factory in Marianao temporarily shut the doors though. A covid-19 cluster was detected at the factory. How many cases are identified at the factory is undisclosed by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap).

Carlos Balino

Marianao is one of the fifteen municipalities in the province of Havana. The factory gets its name from the Cuban poet and writer Carlos Balino. At the young age of 21, his pro-independence and anti-colonial writings got him in trouble with Spanish colonial powers. They banished him to the United States. It is there where Balino and a few other Cuban nationals such as Jose Marti founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party. 

After Cuba became independent, Balino returned to his fatherland. His work was published and he wrote for large national newspapers such as El Mundo and El Proletario. The current Cuban regime honors names like Carlos Balino and Jose Marti by naming buildings and landmarks after them.

The factory

The Carlos Balino Cigar Factory is best known for the El Rey del Mundo production. But in the past, after the revolution and until its discontinuation in 2005, Gispert came from the rolling tables at this factory as well.