State Department To List 80 Percent Of Countries Americans Should Not Travel To Amid The Pandemic

The State Department will list 80 percent of countries as “Do Not Travel” for its advisory system update.

While things seem to be getting better, we’ve been on multiple levels of lockdown for more than a year now since the Coronavirus pandemic started. As cases lower and the spread dies down, the country is still on high alert as people look to travel. On Monday, the State Department announced it would be updating its travel advisory to coincide with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list. The change “will result in a significant increase in the number of countries at Level 4: Do Not Travel, to approximately 80% of countries worldwide.”

“This does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country, but rather reflects an adjustment in the State Department’s Travel Advisory system to rely more on CDC’s existing epidemiological assessments,” the department said in a media note.

The Monday note goes on to highlight “the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose unprecedented risks to travelers.” It read: “In light of those risks, the Department of State strongly recommends U.S. citizens reconsider all travel abroad.”

“As travelers face ongoing risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State will begin updating its Travel Advisories this week to better reflect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) science-based Travel Health Notices that outline current issues affecting travelers’ health,” the State Department said.

“Our Advisories also take into account logistical factors, including in-country testing availability and current travel restrictions for U.S. citizens.”

It continued: “As always, we are closely monitoring conditions around the globe and will regularly update our destination-specific advice to U.S. travelers as conditions evolve.” CNN’s reports say there are around three dozen countries with the State of Department’s Level 4: Do Not Travel alert. Additionally, it states, “international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers are at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading new COVID-19 variants.” The CDC “recommends delaying international travel until you are fully vaccinated.”