LIMA, Peru – Fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts and direct effects on transportation, medical care and the operation of basic services in Cuba continue to motivate alerts from different Governments towards their nationals on the Island.
According to the newspaper The Irish Times This Monday, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs issued a travel alert for Cuba, warning its citizens to avoid non-essential movements to the Caribbean country due to the “increasingly serious economic and humanitarian situation.”
Cuba is now under the second highest warning level, which includes “serious and life-threatening risks,” said the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.
“Our ability to provide consular assistance to Irish citizens in this location is extremely limited,” the ministry said. The Island does not have an Irish embassy.
The newspaper points out that the travel advisory, updated on Wednesday, February 11, warns that “difficulties in importing fuel” are aggravating the problems of Cuba’s national electrical grid, often causing prolonged blackouts throughout the country.
These power outageswhich can sometimes last more than 24 hours, are affecting water supply, lighting, cooling and communications, the Department said.
In response to the shortage, guests have been moved from the resorts they had booked to other hotels to maximize efficient use of available energy. In addition, the ministry exposed the lack of aviation fuel that affects airports and flights on the Island.
As a result, several Canadian airlines —Air CanadaWestJet Airlines and Air Transat—announced the immediate suspension of their service to Cuba, a decision that affects a key flow for the Cuban tourism industry.
In the last week, Switzerland and Germany have also updated their recommendations for traveling to Cuba. The authorities of the United Kingdom and Argentina did the same at the end of January.
