Corona and economic setbacks are an explosive political mix in many parts of the world.
In the planned economy and unfree Cuba, where one of the last large communist experiments is running, the potential for dissatisfaction is particularly high.
As usual, the leadership blames the United States for the misery, but the fact that it is not coping with the pandemic primarily shows that the Cuban health system is not quite as powerful as many outside the island believe. And since the income from tourism collapsed, you can see without make-up what shaky legs the economy is on. If there is a lack of money from abroad, including transfers from the USA, then the supply situation becomes precarious.
Even if there are political demands, the protests seem primarily to have the character of a social uprising.
That doesn't make them any less dangerous for the leadership, which is why they react with repression.
Since she cannot give out benefits, it's no wonder.
And it fits President Díaz-Canel, who is a generation younger than the Castros he succeeded, but sees himself as an old-school revolutionary.
Cuba has fallen out of time, even the undaunted friends of the regime in Latin America are usually better off.
The historical clock is running against the CP.