The State Department has eased its travel advisory for American citizens visiting Cuba, although it continued to urge caution when travelling there. The department also called for maintaining restrictions imposed last year by the Trump administration.
On Thursday, it posted a travel notice assigning a “Level 2” warning to Cuba and calling for heightened caution. Spokesman Noel Clay said the notice replaced an advisory that previously gave Cuba a “Level 3” warning, which advised travelers to reconsider their trips. The highest, Level 4, warns against any travel to a country it has been assigned to.
The department’s spokesman didn’t say why authorities eased the warning, but said they “undertook a thorough review of the risks to private U.S. citizen travelers in Cuba and decided a Level 2 travel advisory was appropriate.”
Last year, a number of U.S. Embassy employees in Havana suffered what was believed to be targeted sound attacks, which resulted in the U.S. reducing its staff there and issuing a Level 3 warning. The “cause or source of the attacks” have not been determined yet, Clay said, and the investigation continues.
He added that although the attacks seem to have been targeted only toward embassy personnel, the State Department continues to issue warnings to American citizens who travel to Cuba. The updated advisory urges U.S. citizens to avoid some hotels and also counsels them to move immediately to another area if they experience any “acute auditory or sensory phenomena.”
The Trump administration also tightened restrictions on Americans’ business dealings with Cuba and eliminated a category created by his predecessor that had facilitated tourist travel by individuals. Americans who wish to travel to Cuba now must do so in groups.
Supporters of increased travel to Cuba welcomed the easing of restrictions, saying Cuba was among the safest countries in the world. The downgraded travel advisory “is a breath of fresh air in a highly politicized process of confusion, anxiety and speculation,” said Collin Laverty, president of the international travel agency Cuba Educational Travel.
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