The Cuban embassies in Haiti and Guyana have arranged with local airlines, the safe return of some 1,700 Cubans who were stranded in these countries, following the cancellation of flights as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, in accordance with measures adopted to address the situation.
The effort was announced by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, on his Twitter account.
The director of the Foreign Ministry’s department of Consular Affairs and Cubans Living Abroad, Ernesto Soberón, said March 20 that citizens stranded in Guyana would be evacuated by air.
Seats have been secured on flights to guarantee the safe return to the island of Cuban citizens in Guyana, Soberón wrote on his Twitter account.
He additionally reported that arrangements had been made to provide lodging in the capital for the stranded Cubans.
Meanwhile, the Cuban Consulate in Lima announced that it is in permanent communication with the Peruvian government and airlines to find a way to ensure a safe return for citizens there.
Likewise, arrangements have been made for some 2,000 Cubans in Nicaragua and 50 in Panama to return.
Beginning March 24, no tourists are allowed to arrive in Cuba for a period of 30 days, in order to protect the population. Thus border ports of entry are controlled, with entry only available to resident citizens and for commercial purposes.
In this way, the health of the Cuban people is safeguarded; work to control the epidemiological situation can advance; and the impact on the population mitigated.
