The State Department has lifted the international “Do Not Travel” Warning, but the CDC still encourages travelers to stay home.
On August 6, the State Departement, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has rolled back the Level 4 international travel warning. The Advisory was issued on March 19, urging US citizens not to travel overseas in response to the coronavirus pandemic. All countries were given a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory designation (the most serious level) to deter Americans from all international travel.
Now, “With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions,” a State Department announcement reads.
“This will also provide U.S. citizens more detailed information about the current status in each country,” it states. “We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.”
Unfortunately, that doesn’t change much for Americans at this point, as countries have specific bans and restrictions on US travelers. The EU has completely blocked American travelers from entering and traveling to the UK requires a 14-day quarantine. No travel will be allowed to Canada and Mexico either, at least not until late August.
Despite the lifts, the CDC still strongly discourages non-essential travel to more than 200 destinations due to the coronavirus risks.
“We are closely monitoring health and safety conditions across the globe, working in partnership with the CDC and other agencies. As always, we will regularly update our destination-specific advice to U.S. travelers as conditions evolve,” the State Department note said.
However, the Department has stated that its “COVID-19 Travel Advisories are informed by CDC’s expert judgment of the health situation as well as other factors related to travel, infrastructure, healthcare resources, and potential closures and restrictions in the country which are important for U.S. citizens to consider.” While the travel advisories reflect Thursday’s announcement, many of the listed countries remain at level 3 or 4.
Featured Image: Spencer Davis