No Access to Copacabana

by US Embassy
(La Paz, Bolivia)

WARDEN MESSAGE U.S. EMBASSY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA November 20, 2009 This warden message informs U.S. citizens traveling to and residing in Bolivia that, according to information provided by the Bolivian National Police (BNP), the Straight of Tiquina has been blocked, therefore, there is no access to Copacabana. The community of Tiquina is protesting against a project to construct a bridge between the Straight of Tiquina and Copacabana. The Bolivian Congress recently approved a resolution recommending that the government supply the town of Copacabana with food and fuel by air. Protests have been ongoing for the past twelve days and there is no information regarding a possible solution to the conflict. U.S. citizens are advised to avoid making arrangements to travel to the region until the situation is resolved.

U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Bolivia are encouraged to register and update their contact information at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz and/or the U.S. consular agencies in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Registration may be done online and can be done in advance of travel. Information on registering may be found at the Department of State's Consular Affairs website: https://travelregistration.state.gov.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the current worldwide caution, travel warnings and travel alerts can be found. Additional information is available in the country specific information for Bolivia at http://travel.state.gov and on the embassy web page at http://bolivia.usembassy.gov.

Current information on travel and security in Bolivia may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). U.S. citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate on the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov.

U.S. citizens may contact the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, via e-mail at consularlapaz@state.gov or by telephone at (591-2) 216-8297 during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or (591-2) 216-8500 after hours and on weekends. The consular section is located in the U.S. Embassy at 2780 Arce Avenue in La Paz, Bolivia, and is open to the public (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.). The Santa Cruz consular agency can be reached by telephone at (591-3) 351-3477, and the Cochabamba consular agency can be reached by telephone at (591-4) 411-6313.

We hope this information is useful to you. If we may provide further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Embassy La Paz, Bolivia