Securely Travel Alert - 01 October 2019

SUMMARY:

1. Hong Kong - National Day Protests Violent
2. Haiti - Violent protests continue
3. Tanzania - Ebola

---

Today’s travel brief is culled from global travel warnings and alerts.

1 - Hong Kong - National Day protests violent

The commemoration of China’s National Day in Hong Kong saw protesters hit the streets in large numbers. Reuters reports China has nearly doubled the number of PLA troops within Hong Kong in recent days.

Protester confrontations with police are numerous and police moved from rubber bullets to lead, shooting at least one protester at short range.

Hong Kong police senior police superintendent, Yolanda Yu confirms an 18 year-old male was shot, explaining the police officer felt life was under threat at the time of the shooting. Video footage circulating on social networks of the confrontation shows the protester wielding a baton/stick and attempting to batter the police officer.

Breaking News: Escalating the violence in Hong Kong, police shot a protester with a live round, the first such incident in months of protests. Follow live updates. https://t.co/nQEe5Ioana

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 1, 2019

---

2 - Haiti - Violence continues

Violent protests continue throughout the country, especially within Port-au-Prince. The Canadian government warns its citizens “widespread civil unrest, including clashes, could occur without notice due to ongoing political instability. Limit your movements if you’re in Haiti.“

The Caris Foundation, an NGO in Haiti associated with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had a vehicle burned and its offices ransacked in violence on 28 September.

---

3 - Tanzania - Ebola death

Today the UK’s FCO updated their travel advice for their citizens in or traveling to Tanzania following a death attributed to Ebola. In mio-September, the United States Department of State advised, “On September 10, 2019, CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) were made aware of unofficial reports regarding the unexplained death of a person two days earlier from probable Ebola in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. This individual reportedly traveled around the country while ill, including to the cities of Songea, Njombe, and Mbeya.”

Deaths due to Ebola have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Travelers crossing into Tanzania from either country should expect to be subjected to health screening.