The measure replaces a blanket list of prohibited private activities with a new framework that classifies industries into four categories, ranging from those permanently banned to those that private businesses may enter with government authorization. Officials said 46 previously prohibited activities have been fully opened to the private sector, while restrictions on another 35 have been eased. The decree builds on a package of 176 economic reforms unveiled last month as Cuba grapples with its deepest economic crisis in decades, marked by prolonged power outages, shortages of food and medicine, and increased U.S. sanctions. It includes allowing entrepreneurs to own multiple businesses, expanding import and export rights, opening private banking, permitting larger companies and reducing long-standing restrictions on private enterprise. Analysts have also warned that without greater political and judicial reforms, many of the measures could prove difficult to implement.