US Working to Increase Staff, Security Posture at Havana Embassy

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is working to increase staff and security at the embassy in Havana as the Biden administration rolls out plans to resume visa services, a senior US administration official said in a conference call.

"The President directed us to increase staff at US Embassy Havana and to do so with an appropriate security posture. We have been working over the course of the last several months to put in place a plan to to be able to do so," the official said on Monday.

The Biden administration announced earlier on Monday its plans to reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Program, expand US flights to Cuba, and to lift Trump-era restrictions, which include removing the limit on family remittances of $1,000 per quarter for each sender-receiver pair.

Moreover, the official said multiple US agencies are continuing to work on plans to conclude the United States' Havana Syndrome probe. The official added that at this moment the United States has not reached a conclusion on the attribution to the alleged attacks.

US diplomats were first diagnosed with Havana Syndrome in Cuba in 2016 and then in China in 2018. The diplomats said they experienced piercing sounds that have caused longer-term health effects. American diplomats in Russia, Tajikistan, Austria and in several African countries have also reported experiencing Havana Syndrome symptoms, including nausea and dizziness.

On January 20, the US Central Intelligence Agency said it does not consider Havana syndrome to be the result of a deliberate global campaign by any hostile country.