Cuba extends shutdowns after blackouts and hurricane

Authorities in Cuba decided to extend shutdowns of workplaces and schools through Sunday after the country’s electrical grid collapsed four times last week due to the failure of the country’s largest power plant.

The National Defense Council announced that only vital services such as hospitals will stay open. Electricity has been restored in most of Havana and some outlying areas.

The government closed schools last Friday and ordered non-essential public sector activities to stop as work began on restoring the electrical grid after power went out for the island's 10 million people when the nation's largest coal-fired power plant failed.

But the arrival of Hurricane Oscar on Sunday across eastern Cuba hampered efforts to restore power.

The storm’s heavy rains and winds killed seven people and impacted millions of Cubans already facing days without power. The storm also affected banana, coffee and tomato plantations and caused damage to dozens of homes.

Yesterday, Cuba announced that non-vital work activities and classes at all educational levels will be suspended until Sunday. Authorities believe that by then, such activities can be carried out normally throughout the country.