Several countries, including Canada, the UK, and Australia, updated their travel advisories urging their citizens to avoid traveling to Cuba as the Caribbean country is facing a critical fuel shortage.
Canadian airlines have suspended service to Cuba and will only fly those who are already in Cuba back home. “Avoid non-essential travel to Cuba due to worsening shortages of fuel, electricity, and basic necessities including food, water, and medicine, which can also affect resorts. Fuel availability has decreased, is difficult to predict, and may disrupt ground transportation,” the Canadian travel advisory said. Canada foreign minister Anita Anand issued a statement on Cuba situation. “We are now advising Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Cuba. Canadians are urged to leave while commercial flights remain available. Our government is working with airlines to help Canadians return home, and Global Affairs Canada consular officials are ready to provide support to anyone in need,” she said.
The UK, too, in its updated travel advisory, asked people to cancel non-essential travel to Cuba.
“If you are currently in Cuba, carefully consider if your presence is essential. Take precautions by conserving fuel, water, food and mobile phone charge, and be prepared for significant disruption,” the UK advisory said. Australia issued a level 3 alert for Cuba and asked its citizens to reconsider the need to travel to Cuba. “The worsening fuel shortage and frequent power outages are affecting transport and other services.
Airlines are reducing or cancelling flights. There’s also a shortage of essential supplies, including food, medicines and drinking water,” the Australia government said.
What is happening in Cuba ?
The Cuban government announced that international flights would no longer be able to refuel there due to aviation fuel shortages, after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells oil to the island. The Kremlin Thursday dismissed Trump’s tariff threat and said it is actively discussing what help it can provide to Cuba. “We wouldn’t want any escalation, but on the other hand, we don’t have much trade right now,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti.The US has been putting pressure on Cuba since January 3 when it captured Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela, a longtime ally of the Cuban government. The US has not issued any travel advisory to Cuba yet but Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar’s social media post calling Cuban regime in its final hours triggered speculations.
“Do NOT travel to Cuba. There is no electricity, no food, and no medicine, only blackouts, hunger, and repression. Many airlines are canceling flights to and from the island. If you go, you may not be able to return for weeks, or longer. Don’t risk your safety. A regime in its final hours is unpredictable and dangerous,” the Republican leader posted a few days ago.
