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Hurricane Maria: Foreign Office issues travel warning for Grand Turk

British travellers are being advised against all but essential travel to the island of Grand Turk following Hurricane Maria passing over the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The updated travel advisory from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office stresses that the alert does not apply to the remainder of the territory, in particular the island of Providenciales, where services are returning to normal.

The islands were severely impacted by the passage of Hurricane Irma earlier in the month.

Only limited further damage, largely confined to the island of Grand Turk, was caused by Hurricane Maria.

The FCO also continues advising against all but essential travel to Dominica due to widespread damage to buildings, infrastructure and communications caused by Maria.

“The airport is closed but commercial ferry options are available. If you’re in Dominica, you should exercise caution and follow the advice of the local authorities,” the FCO said.

However, the FCO lifted a travel ban on Anguilla.

Local flooding and some damage in the north and east of the Dominican Republic has been reported after the hurricane passed the country on Thursday.

“Airports are open and there was no serious damage to tourist infrastructure,” the FCO said. “You should contact your tour operator or airline for more information.”

The central northern coast of Cuba has been badly damaged following Hurricane Irma, including the Cayos region and airport, although the government is working to restore services before the main tourist season in November, according to the FCO.

“Many towns in Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Villa Clara and Matanzas provinces were also severely affected.

“Communication is gradually being restored across provinces Havana and many other tourist areas are operating normally including main roads to provinces and most bus services and airports.”

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