Given the increasingly approaching arrival of Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, the Government is accelerating measures to minimize, as far as possible, the impact of this top-class atmospheric phenomenon.
Taking into account the complicated situation, marked by the gradual deterioration of meteorological conditions in those territories, where the Cyclonic Alarm phase was recently decreed, the Ministry of Transport (Mitrans) canceled trips to and from them by planes, trains and buses.
Regarding rail transportation, the departure of the formation that this Sunday was to cover the route between Havana and Guantanamo was cancelled, and the same will happen this Monday with the planned train from Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
As the previous routes are not completed, the measure will be extended to the trains that on October 28 were to cover the routes Guantánamo-Havana, and Santiago-Havana, corresponding to the following day, according to the information note released by Mitrans.
As an additional measure, it was decided to cancel the departures of all local and interprovincial train services between the provinces of Las Tunas and Guantánamo.
The note indicates that the reestablishment of these itineraries “will be carried out when the Recovery phase is declared in the affected provinces and the conditions of the railways are verified for the safety of train movement.”
At the same time, it is specified that this decision “will be informed in a timely manner to the population.”
Similar actions will be taken with the bus service, with the suspension of the national programming of National Buses (including VIAZUL) to and from the five eastern provinces, starting at 1:00 pm this Monday.
The “very dangerous” Hurricane Melissa is already category 5 and must hit Cuba for about 12 hours
The rest of the scheduled flights to and from the provinces from Camagüey to Pinar del Río will continue to operate normally.
Mitrans indicates that passengers will have the required protection in the event that they do not decide to travel, and that once the service is restored, the Traveler Company will reschedule their reservations “according to the availability of capacities.”
Flights to and from Santiago de Cuba and Holguín scheduled for Tuesday, October 28 and Wednesday, October 29, were also canceled, so passengers with reservations should contact the airlines to receive guidance in this regard.
Regarding maritime transportation, traffic was suspended between the ports of Batabanó, Nueva Gerona and Cayo Largo del Sur “until hydrometeorological conditions allow safe maritime navigation between said ports.”
Classes on pause
The passage of Hurricane Melissa through Cuban territory has also forced extraordinary measures to be adopted in the educational system. The authorities urged all families to stay informed and comply with all Civil Defense guidelines:
According to an information note from the Ministry of Education (Mined), as of this Monday, teaching activities for all types and levels of education will cease in the provinces from Guantánamo to Camagüey.
It was also directed to the centers in the provinces of Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, to gradually stop activities in those with inmates status and maintain them in the remaining educational levels.
The provinces from Matanzas to Pinar del Río and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud would maintain normal operations.
